Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Cryptosporidium has recently been recognized as a worldwide cause of diarrhea in all age groups, including a type of traveler's diarrhea and acute childhood diarrhea. It causes severe diarrhea in people with lowered immunity, such as those with AIDS in whom it has become an increasing source of morbidity.

Transmission occurs through ingestion of fecally contaminated materials typically from animals to humans, humans to humans, and through contaminated water. Risk factors are travel to areas with poor sanitation, and having a suppressed immune system. The incidence is 3 out of 10,000 people. In the last few years several large outbreaks have occurred in major cities when municipal water supplies became contaminated. These outbreaks affected thousands of people.

Prevention: Proper sanitation and hygiene are necessary for prevention.

Symptoms: watery diarrhea several times a day, dehydration, weakness, abdominal cramping and weight loss.

Signs and tests: stool culture and stool ova and parasites exam.

Treatment: There is no treatment for Cryptosporidium other than supportive treatment for symptoms. Symptoms usually go away in 7 to 21 days.

Expectations (prognosis): The infection is self-limiting in health people, but wasting and prolonged illness may follow in immunosuppressed people.

Complications: severe malabsorption (inadequate absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract) multisystem involvement.

Last updated May 25, 1999

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