CYCLOSPORA CAYETANENSIS INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT AIDS -BILIARY DISEASE AS ANOTHER CLINICAL MANIFESTATION

We describe patients with and without AIDS who had Cyclospora cayetane nsis infection; these patients were seen at a tertiary care teaching h ospital in Mexico City because of diarrheal disease, C. cayetanensis w as detected by examination of fresh fecal preparations and acid-fast s taining of fecal smears; the presence of other bacteria and parasites was excluded by standard methods. Fecal specimens from 12 patients con tained C. cayetanensis. The overall mean duration of illness was 94 da ys. Seven of the 12 patients had AIDS; these patients presented with m ore weight loss than did patients without AIDS (P = .04). The patients with AIDS also tended to have a more prolonged illness. Two patients with AIDS had biliary disease that resolved when they received therapy with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for cyclospora infection; the excr etion of oocysts also ceased. Our data confirm that C. cagetanensis ca uses diarrhea in humans and a significant weight loss in patients with AIDS. In addition, Cyclospora could be involved in biliary disease in patients with AIDS.