Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhoea in children

SUMMARY

Over a 3-month period during summer, 30 out of a group of 194 children admitted with a primary diagnosis of gastro-enteritis with dehydration were found to excrete Cryptosporidium oocysts in their stools. On retrospective analysis, children with cryptosporidia in their stools had a significantly higher mortality than those without.

They spent a longer time in hospital and were more likely to have intestinal salmonella infection. They also had a higher incidence of bronchopneumonia. They were not significantly different from the group of children without cryptosporidia in respect of age, mass for age, duration of symptoms prior to hospitalization, prior treatment, or severity of metabolic derangement on admission. Since cryptosporidiosis has a recognized association with immune deficiency, the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in the stools of our children with diarrhoea may be a pointer to morbidity and mortality.