title: Cryptosporidium in children with diarrhea: a hospital-based Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the proportionate contribution of Cryptosporidium to diarrhea in under-five children, and to study its demographic and clinical associates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected stool specimens from children (age <5 yrs) suffering from diarrhea. The specimen was examined on the same day by Kinyouns acid-fast staining for the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst; rest of the sample was preserved for later cryptosporidium antigen detection by commercially available ELISA kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 175 children with diarrhea, 48 (27.4%) had Cryptosporidium antigen in their stool specimen. Gender, history of contact with domestic animal, hydration status, breastfeeding and nutritional status were not significantly associated with cryptosporidium infection in children with diarrhea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cryptosporidium is present in a significant portion of children suffering from diarrhea in our setting. Antigen detection has much higher isolation rate than acid-fast staining.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology and *Pediatrics, University college of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India Correspondence to: Dr Purbasha Bera, Department of Microbiology, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110 095, India. drpurbasha@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Purbasha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bera
authors.forename: Shukla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Rumpa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.forename: Dheeraj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014505:Urban Population