Intestinal cryptosporidiosis complicated by disseminated cytomegalovirus infection

Abstract

A 48-yr-old man with profuse diarrhea for about 9 mo was found to have intestinal cryptosporidiosis. Treatment with antibacterial, antimalarial, and other antiprotozoal agents failed to control the disease. The organisms were identified by light and electron microscopy in a biopsy specimen from the duodenum. Disseminated infection with cytomegalovirus developed during treatment, and the patient died. Five other instances of intestinal cryptosporidiosis have been reported. Immunologic incompetence, related to either disease or therapy, or both, was present in 4 cases but, although suspected, could not be proved in the patient described in this paper.