INTESTINAL CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS - A PROSPECT IVE-STUDY IN GABONESE CHILDREN WITH DIARRHEA

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.