Prevalence of intestinal infection due to Cryptosporidium species among Taiwanese patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.
OBJECTIVE
Cryptosporidiosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who do not receive highly active antiretroviral therapy. Related data on cryptosporidiosis in Taiwanese HIV-infected patients are very limited. This study assessed the prevalence of intestinal infection due to Cryptosporidium spp. among Taiwanese patients with HIV infection.


METHODS
This retrospective review included 1044 patients with HIV infection treated between June 1994 and June 2004. Intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium spp. was identified by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism of stool specimens collected from 332 of the HIV-infected patients without gastrointestinal symptoms, 90% of whom were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.


RESULTS
Five out of 1044 (0.5%) HIV-infected patients had a diagnosis of intestinal cryptosporidiosis by endoscopic biopsy or examinations of stool specimens. Intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium spp. was found in four of 332 (1.2%) asymptomatic HIV-infected patients between 2001 and 2003; two were due to C. hominis, and one each were due to C. felis and C. meleagridis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that the prevalence of intestinal colonization due to Cryptosporidium is low among HIV-infected patients in Taiwan.
Hung
Chien-Ching
CC
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. hcc0401@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw
Tsaihong
John C
JC
Lee
Ya-Tien
YT
Deng
Hung-Yin
HY
Hsiao
Wei-Hung
WH
Chang
Sui-Yuan
SY
Chang
Shan-Chwen
SC
Su
Kua-Eyre
KE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology