بررسی کریپتوسپوریدیوزیس در مبتلایان به نقص ایمنی اکتسابی در تهران بزرگ

Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic zoonosis prevalent all over the world and recognized as one of the important causes of diarrhea in children and immunodeficient subjects. The manifestations range from self-limited acute diarrhea in immunocompetent individuals to fatal chronic diarrhea in immunocompromised patients. In this study, conducted in Greater Tehran, 214 patients in 7 disease categories in 10 hospitals were investigated. Samples were collected from both patients with immune deficiency symptoms (Test group) and those with an intact immune system (Control group). Overall, 22.4% of patients had diarrhea and 77.6% had stools with a normal consistency. 1.4% of immunocompromised patients and 6.3% of those with diarrhea were found to harbor Cryptosporidium infections. These Cryptosporidium-positive cases included one patient with AML and two AIDS patients. The incidence rate of infection in AML and AIDS patients who had diarrhea was 11.1% and 33.4%, respectively. While the infection is usually self-limited in immunocompetent subjects, it could be fatal in immunodeficiency states. Therefore attention must be paid to effective disease prevention in immunocompromised subjects.