The incidence of cryptosporidiosis in children: a one-year prospective survey in a general hospital in Spain

The importance of Cryptosporidium species as a cause of diarrhea in the childhood population has increased since the examination of fecal samples has been introduced in microbiological laboratories. A one-year prospective survey carried out on 699 children from rural and urban districts examined at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEuropean journal of epidemiology Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 70
Main Authors García-Rodríguez, J A, Martin Sánchez, A M, Canut Blasco, A, Cedeño Montaño, J, Heras de Pedro, M I
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands 01.03.1989
Subjects
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Cryptosporidiosis - epidemiology
Female
Giardiasis - epidemiology
Hospitals, General
Humans
Infant
Male
Prospective Studies
Seasons
Spain
Spain
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Summary:The importance of Cryptosporidium species as a cause of diarrhea in the childhood population has increased since the examination of fecal samples has been introduced in microbiological laboratories. A one-year prospective survey carried out on 699 children from rural and urban districts examined at the University Hospital in Salamanca (Spain) revealed 8 cases of cryptosporidiosis (1.1% of the children studied). Most of the cases (5 patients) were observed in the January-April period. Seven of the eight cases occurred in children younger than 3 years of age. All the children with cryptosporidiosis were immunocompetent. Diarrhea (75.0%) and vomiting (50.0%) were the most frequent clinical features of the cryptosporidiosis. In one quarter of the cases, other pathogens were associated. A comparison is made with the incidence of giardiasis, which is the commonest intestinal parasitosis in our community.
ISSN:0393-2990
1573-7284
DOI:10.1007/BF00145048