Treatment of diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum: A prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of nitazoxanide

A prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conduc ted in 50 adults and 50 children from the Nile delta of Egypt, to evaluate the efficacy of nitazoxanide in treating diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum. Nitazoxanide was administered in 500-mg doses twice daily for 3 da ys in adults and adolescents, in 200-mg doses twice daily for 3 days in chi ldren aged 4-11 years, and in 100-mg doses twice daily for 3 days in childr en aged 1-3 years. At 7 days after initiation of therapy, diarrhea had reso lved in 39 (80%) of the 49 patients in the nitazoxanide treatment group, co mpared with 20 (41%) of 49 in the placebo group (P<.0001). Diarrhea was res olved in most patients receiving nitazoxanide within 3 or 4 days of treatme nt initiation. Nitazoxanide treatment reduced the duration of both diarrhea (P<.0001) and oocyst shedding (P<.0001).