FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MICROSPORIDIAL AND CRYPTOSPORIDIAL DIARRHEA IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

Cryptosporidium and microsporidia ate increasingly recognized as impor tant agents of chronic diarrhea in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. These protozoa present clinical and biological simi larities but coinfection with these two parasites seems uncommon. In a population of diarrheic HIV infected patients in the Paris area (Fran ce), a comparison study was performed in order to clarify epidemiologi cal differences between these protozoa. From November 1993 to December 1994, 26 microsporidial infected patients were compared to 28 cryptos poridial patients for various factors. Results of a multivariate logis tic regression analysis showed that trips to tropical countries remain ed strongly associated with microsporidia compared with Cryptosporidiu m (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 4.6, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1-1 9.5). Thus, as compared with cryptosporidiosis, specific epidemiologic al factors could be associated with microsporidial transmission in tro pical countries.