title: [Detection of Cryptosporidium infection among HIV/AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea in Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang of China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the Cryptosporidium infection and its epidemiological characteristics in HIV/AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stool samples collected from HIV/AIDS confirmed patients with chronic diarrhea who lived in Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang. Samples were concentrated by Formalin-Ethyl Acetate Sedimentation technique and stained by modified acid-fast stain (AFS) for the identification of oocysts by microscopy. CD4(+)T cells count was performed by Flow Cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall infection rate of Cryptosporidium in AIDS patients was 12.6% (32/253). The infection rates of oocysts in the area of Beijing, Henan and Xinjiang were 5.97% (4/67), 16.1% (24/149) and 10.8% (4/37) respectively. The infection rate of oocysts in the urban areas was 6.5% (7/104) while in the countryside it was 16.8% (25/149) and the difference was significantly different. However, there were no any differences discovered between the infection rates on patient's gender or on infection occurred in different seasons. The infectious rates of oocyst in patients on different stages of the disease were also significantly different (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AIDS patients infected by Cryptosporidium were not rarely seen in northern China. The rate of infection was not associated with patient's gender but was associated with patient's living environments. Patients living in the countryside, with lower lever of CD4(+)T cells counts and at the middle/late stage of the disease, Cryptosporidium infection appeared to be high.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Hui-zhu
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bing-xin
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Jing-hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xing-wang
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yu-guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult