title: Genotyping of Cryptosporidium isolates from human clinical cases in Poland.
abstract: Cryptosporidium spp. infection is usually self-limited in immunocompetent hosts but can be severe and life threatening in children and in immunocompromised individuals including those with primary or acquired immunodeficiencies. One hundred and three faecal samples were collected from 35 hospitalised patients with different symptoms and tested for the presence of the parasite. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in four of 35 patients (11.4%) using Ziehl-Neelsen staining of faecal smears and immunofluorescence assay, whereas 12 (34.3%) samples tested positive by nested polymerase chain reaction assay. Cryptosporidium DNA was detected in one bile sample but not in a liver tissue biopsy sample collected from a patient who suffered from sclerosing cholangitis. Sequence analysis of oocyst wall protein and beta-tubulin gene fragments revealed three different parasite species (Cryptosporidium hominis, Cryptosporidium meleagridis and Cryptosporidium parvum) in children with primary immunodeficiencies, whereas only C. parvum was found in immunocompetent individuals and in those with secondary immunodeficiencies. This study has revealed a high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in hospitalised patients in Poland and confirmed that molecular techniques enable a more sensitive detection of the parasite.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. anabena@biol.uw.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bajer
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bednarska
authors.forename: Simone M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cacciò
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wolska-Kuśnierz
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heropolitanska-Pliszka
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernatowska
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wielopolska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paziewska
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Welc-faleciak
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siński
mesh_terms: D053799:2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000235:genetics*; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000150:complications; D064747:Lansoprazole; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D053799:2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles; D064747:Lansoprazole