Frequency of isolation of Cryptosporidium oocysts in Ethiopian children with acute diarrhoeal disease

Abstract

Stool specimens from one hundred children with acute diarrhoeal disease seen at the Gondar College of Medical Sciences Hospital, north-western Ethiopia were prospectively screened for the presence of oocysts of Cryptosporidium species. The study was conducted between June 1989 and January 1990. Nine out of one hundred specimens were positive for oocysts of Cryptosporidium. This study has demonstrated the presence of this parasite in the study region. A well desgned case control study is recommended to elucidate its clinical manifestations and association with malnutrition.

PIP: Between June 1989 and January 1990 in Ethiopia, health workers collected 2 gm diarrhea samples from 100 patients, 2-48 months old, at the oral rehydration unit of the Gondar College Medical Sciences Hospital to test for the presence of Cryptosporidium species' oocysts. Laboratory personnel used Loeffler's alkaline methylene-blue solution to isolate oocysts in 9 children. 6 of these children were 12 months old. None of the children with Cryptosporidium oocysts exhibited signs of severe protein energy malnutrition, but 31 other children did exhibit these signs. The presence of oocysts in the 9 children did not necessarily indicate that Cryptosporidium species were the only causes of their acute diarrhea. The 9% isolation rate may be an underestimate, because Baxby and Blonde have demonstrated that safranin-methylene blue yields a better Cryptosporidium oocyst isolation rate than does Loeffler's alkaline methylene-blue. A well-designed study is needed to determine the true prevalence of cryptosporidiosis, to describe its clinical profile, and to define its association with other diarrhea-causing enteropathogens and its association with malnutrition.