Cyclospora is recently described new human pathogenic coccidian causing intermittent diarrhoeal enteritis which may persist for weeks or months in immunocompetent subjects, particularly travellers visiting some tropical areas and countries, such as Nepal, the Caribbean, Peru and Mexico. More rarely this enteric pathogen affects immunocompromised humans, namely HIV-infected people or AIDS patien...

BACKGROUND Parasitic gastrointestinal infections have been variably reported among immunocompromised adults while data on children have been limited. This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to assess the clinical profile of intestinal parasitic infections among immunocompromised children with diarrhoea and their treatment response. METHODOLOGY Two freshly voided stool samples taken for t...

Cryptosporidiosis and cyclosporiasis are caused by waterborne coccidian protozoan parasites of the genera Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora, respectively. This study was conducted to detect Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora oocysts from environmental water abstracted by drinking water treatment plants and recreational activities in Sarawak, Malaysia. Water samples (12 each) were collected from Sungai...

More than 72 species of protozoan and helminth parasites can reach humans by food and water, and most of these infections are zoonoses. Some parasites show a cosmopolitan distribution, others a more restricted distribution due to their complex life cycles, which need the presence of one or more intermediate hosts. Of this large number of pathogens, only Toxoplasma gondii can be transmitted to h...

The appropriate treatment and control of infectious gastroenteritis depend on the ability to rapidly detect the wide range of etiologic agents associated with the disease. Clinical laboratories currently utilize an array of different methodologies to test for bacterial, parasitic, and viral causes of gastroenteritis, a strategy that suffers from poor sensitivity, potentially long turnaround tim...

The microbial diversity of wastewater used for irrigation and fertilization was assessed using specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect and genotype several pathogenic protists including Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Cyclospora spp., Eimeria spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi. A total of 220 wastewater samples (110 raw, 110 treated) and 12 sludge samples were collecte...

Previous reports of diarrhea resulting from Cyclospora species have been linked to travelers and immunocompromised patients. We conducted a prospective study of 1,042 formalin-ethyl acetate fecal concentrates collected from patients with diarrhea. Between May and November 1993, we identified three patients for whom studies were positive for nonrefractile spherical organisms measuring 10 microns...

Address for correspondence: Paul S. Mead, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail Stop A38, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA; fax: 404-639-2205; e-mail: [email protected]. More than 200 known diseases are transmitted through food (1). The causes of foodborne illness include viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, metals, and prions, and the...