CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS AND BLASTOCYSTOSIS IN RENAL-TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Some intestinal parasitic infections are frequently seen in renal tran splant recipients. Parasites such as Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocy stis hominis are often asymptomatic or responsible for limited infecti ons in normals, but may cause prolonged and heavy infections with gast rointestinal complaints, mainly diarrhea, in immunocompromised patient s. Such infections can often not be detected by routine diagnostic pro cedures, but special concentration and staining methods are needed. We investigated 115 fecal specimens from 69 renal transplant recipients and 42 fecal specimens from 42 control cases. Of the 69 recipients, 27 (39.1%) had B. hominis and 13 (18.8%) had Cryptosporidium spp. in at least one fecal specimen. Prevalence of symptomatic Cryptosporidium in fections was significantly higher in the renal transplant recipients, when compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Special parasitologic al procedures must be performed in immunocompromised patients with chr onic gastrointestinal complaints. Disappearance of symptoms after anti parasitic drugs in some of 16 symptomatic patients are described, sugg esting that these infections are more pathogenic in transplant recipie nts.