Significance of Cryptosporidium in acute diarrhoea in North-Eastern India

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 48; no. 6; pp. 523 - 526
• Main Authors: NATH, GOPAL, CHOUDHURY, A, SHUKLA, B. N, SINGH, T.B, REDDY, D.C.S
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01.06.1999; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidiosis - epidemiology; Cryptosporidium; Diarrhea - epidemiology; Diarrhea - parasitology; Diarrhea, Infantile - epidemiology; Diarrhea, Infantile - parasitology; Feces - microbiology; Feces - parasitology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; India - epidemiology; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infectious diseases; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Parasitic diseases; Protozoa; Protozoal diseases; Seasons; Asia; India; Human; Protozoa; Cryptosporidium; Apicomplexa; Protozoal disease; Prevalence; Acute; Diarrhea; Parasitosis; Epidemiology; Infection; Cryptosporidiosis; Symptomatology; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-48-6-523

1 Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India 2 Paediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India 3 PSM, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India 4 Corresponding author: Dr G. Nath. Received March 19, 1998 Revision received August 10, 1998. Accepted September 4, 1998 In a hospital-based study, stool samples from 2095 patients of all ages were examined for different fungal, protozoal and bacterial enteropathogens over a period of 2 years (July 1994-June 1996). Cryptosporidium was detected in 151 specimens (7.2%) and was the third commonest pathogen found. The highest prevalence of this organism was in the group aged 16-45 years and during the rainy months (July-Oct.). Diarrhoea caused by the protozoon was of mild to moderate severity and features of dysentery were absent. Amongst other enteropathogens, Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated, followed by enteropathogenic and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia duodenalis (lamblia), Shigella spp., Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas spp.