D. Heron et al., INTESTINAL CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS - A PROSPECT IVE-STUDY IN GABONESE CHILDREN WITH DIARRHEA, Annales de pediatrie, 41(4), 1994, pp. 225-229
In a 12-month prospective study conducted in Libreville (equatorial Af
rica) in 261 infants under two years of age evaluated for diarrhea, st
ool specimens from 63 infants (24 %) were found to contain Cryptospori
dium sp oocysts. This figure is at the highest end of the range of pre
viously reported prevalences. Eighty per cent of Cryptosporidium-posit
ive subjects were between 6 and 18 months of age. Eighty per cent of p
ositive specimens were obtained during the rainy season. There were no
direct relationship between the presence of Cryptosporidium and prote
in-calorie malnutrition. However, the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis
was higher among those infants with protracted diarrhea. Since there a
re intimate links between chronic diarrhea and malnutrition, this sugg
ests that cryptosporidiosis may have some bearing on the development o
f growth failure. Studies using other markers of malnutrition are requ
ired to investigate this hypothesis.