Cryptosporidium Spp., a frequent cause of diarrhea among children at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This report presents the results of a study conducted at the Child Health Department, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, between the months of October 2001 and June 2002. Stool samples from 227 children with diarrhea and 77 children without diarrhea, aged less than 5 years, were tested for Cryptosporidium spp. Prevalence rates were 27.8 and 15.6% in children with and without diarrhea, respectively. Cryptosporidium infection was found to be high in children between the ages of 6 and 24 months. Cryptosporidium spp. was more common in malnourished children, but was not isolated in children under 6 months of age who were exclusively breastfed. Neither the presence of domestic animals, abdominal pain, blood in stool, nausea, vomiting, nor the consumption of untreated water was associated with Cryptosporidium spp. infection. Shigella, Salmonella, and yeast-like organisms were the most frequently identified enteropathogenic bacteria. In summary, this study demonstrates the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. among Ghanaian children.