Infection Rate of Cryptosporidium parvum among Diarrheic Children in Isfahan

Objective: cryptosporidiosis is an important enteric parasitic infection among infants and children in developing countries with significant morbidity and mortality especially among immuno-suppressed individuals. the aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of enteric cryptosporidiosis in children presenting with diarrhea in isfahan. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted from august 2007 to june 2008 in three university hospitals in isfahan. children aged 1 month to 10 years presenting with acute or persistent diarrhea were selected consecutively. the oocyst of c. parvum was investigated in stool specimens using a modified acid-fast staining method.findings: during the study period, 606 children (mean age 42.4±30.0 months, 58.1% female) were recruited. acute and persistent diarrhea was present in 422 (69.6%) and 184 (30.4%) of the children, respectively. twenty eight (4.6%) specimens were oocyst positive. the prevalence of cryptosporidium infection was significantly higher in children with persistent diarrhea compared to children with acute diarrhea (12.5% vs 1.2%; p<0.001). most of the infected children were under 5 years of age (89.2%), however, the age difference between infected and non-infected children was not statistically significant. also, there was no significant difference between infected and non-infected children in gender. conclusion: the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in children presenting with persistent diarrhea is considerable and we suggest routine stool examination for cryptosporidium in this group of children.