[Annual frequency of Cryptosporidium parvum infections in children and adult outpatients, and adults infected by HIV]

Rev Med Chil. 1995 Apr;123(4):479-84.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

We report the analysis of 4892 parasitological stool samples coming from outpatients and patients of a nutritional recuperation center of north Santiago. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in 21 samples (0.4%). The protozoan was detected in 6 of 1203 samples from children of less than 2 years old, 3 of 1.727 samples from children between 6 and 15 years, none of 776 samples from healthy adults and 2 of 13 samples from HIV infected patients. Nine of 97 children of less than 2 years old, hospitalized in the nutritional recuperation center, were infected with Cryptosporidium; this frequency was significantly higher than that of outpatients of the same age. Most infections were detected from May to August, a rainy and mildly cold period. It is concluded that Cryptosporidium infections are infrequent in healthy outpatients and that its prevalence increased in hospitalized children and HIV infected adults.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / complications
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chile / epidemiology
  • Cryptosporidiosis / complications
  • Cryptosporidiosis / epidemiology*
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Outpatients