Heavy cryptosporidial infections in children in northeast Brazil: comparison of Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum

• DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2006.06.005
• Publication Date: 2006-08-25T15:43:13Z
• Authors: Oluma Y. Bushen; Anita Kohli; Relana C. Pinkerton; Kate Dupnik; Robert D. Newman; Cynthia L. Sears; Ronald Fayer; Aldo A.M. Lima; Richard L. Guerrant
• Keywords: Cryptosporidium parvum

Cryptosporidium is an important cause of infectious diarrhoea worldwide, but little known about the course illness when infected with different species. Over a period 5 years, was identified in stools 58 157 children prospectively followed from birth urban slum (favela) northeast Brazil. Forty isolates were available for quantification and 42 speciation (24 hominis 18 C. parvum). Children shed significantly more oocysts/ml stool (3.5 x 10(6) vs. 1.7 10(6)perml; P=0.001), oocyst counts higher among symptomatic (P=0.002). Heavier parvum shedding associated symptoms (P=0.004), parvum-infected likely than asymptomatic to be lactoferrin-positive (P=0.004). Height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores showed significant declines within 3 months infection either (P=0.028) or (P=0.001). However, 3-6 month following infection, only hominis-infected continued demonstrate declining HAZ score even greater decline (P=0.01). common favela heavier infections growth shortfalls, absence symptoms.