Cryptosporidiosis in infants. A study in the Sfax region, Tunisia.

Cryptosporidiosis, which was formerly considered a rare opportunistic infec tion, is now a cause for considerable concern because of the severe gastroi ntestinal manifestations it produces in AIDS patients. Cryptosporidiosis ca n also cause gastroenteritis in closed or semi-closed populations of childr en with malnutrition. Because few data on pediatric cryptosporidiosis have been published, a prospective study of the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in the pediatric population of the Sfax region in southern Tunisia was cond ucted over an 18-month period. Of the 602 patients seen for acute diarrhea who were included in the study, 13 (2.16%) tested positive for Cryptosporid ium. Their age range was 6 months to 4 years. All 13 patients were from an underprivileged rural community characterized by poor personal hygiene, cro wded dwellings, and close proximity with animals. The diarrhea responded to symptomatic treatment in 11 cases (84%). Two patients with severe malnutri tion and dehydration died. In the study population, cryptosporidiosis was t he fifth most common gastrointestinal protozoan infection. It follows that cryptosporidiosis should be looked for routinely in pediatric patients with acute diarrhea, especially when failure to thrive or poor socioeconomic co nditions are also present.