title: Identification of cryptosporidium species infecting humans in Tunisia.
abstract: Prevalence and species distribution of Cryptosporidium spp. were determined among 633 immunocompetent children less than five years of age and 75 patients hospitalized for immunodeficiency who lived in northern Tunisia. Microscopy was used for initial screening to detect positive samples and a nested polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to determine the species. Cryptosporidium spp. was identified in 2.7% of cases (19 stool samples), and there was a significant difference between samples collected from immunocompromised patients and those collected from healthy children (10.7% versus 1.7%). Prevalence was also significantly higher in diarrheal specimens than in formed specimens (6.3% versus 1.6%). Cryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum were responsible for most Cryptosporidium spp. infections (78.9%). Cryptosporidium hominis was more prevalent in children from urban areas than in those from rural areas, and C. parvum was found with similar prevalence rates in the two populations. Cryptosporidium meleagridis was identified in four children on farms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche 05SP03, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Laboratoire d'Immunologie-Vaccinologie-Genetique Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Rym
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Essid
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mousli
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoun
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abdelmalek
authors.forename: Fethi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mellouli
authors.forename: Fakher
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kanoun
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Derouin
authors.forename: Aïda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouratbine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012424:Rural Population; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan