the prevalence of cryptosporidium infection among renal transplanted patients in hamadan city, west of iran

Opportunistic infections have become much more considerable in the last decades, especially in immunocompromised patients and due to the medical interventions. cryptosporidium is a pathogenic protozoan parasite causing diarrhea in children and some times acts as a life threatening opportunistic pathogen in the immunocompromised adults. this study aimed to investigate the presence of cryptosporidium infection among patients undergone renal transplantation, who are at risk for this infection. this was a cross-sectional study and the sample collection consisted of 180 renal transplanted patients referred to shaheed-beheshti hospital, hamadan city, iran. the stool specimens were concentrated using formalin-ether technique and then the fecal smears were prepared from the sediments. afterwards, the slides were stained using the ziehl-neelsen staining method and then examined for the presence of cryptosporidium oocysts. one out of 180 fecal samples was positive for cryptosporidium infection. the infected patient was a 51-year-old woman who had a renal transplantation six years earlier, with continuous use of cellcept® (mycophenolate mofetil) and prednisolone. the patient had been referred to the hospital with gastrointestinal symptoms. based on the results of this study the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis was very low in renal transplanted patients in hamadan city, iran. it could be concluded that cryptosporidiosis is not a life threatening risk in this region and it probably showed well post-transplantation hygienic status of the patients and/or low oocysts load in the area.