English

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Cryptosporidium was first reported as a human pathogen in 1976. In the 1980s it emerged worldwide as a common cause of acute, self-limiting gastroenteritis in otherwise healthy individuals especially children and of severe or life threatening infection in the severely immuno compromised patients. MATERIAL ANDMETHODS: A total of 376 Human and 100 animal faecal samples were collected and processed as per standard microbiological procedure. Oocyst of cryptosporidium was detected by modified Kinyoun acid fast staining RESULTS: Maximum cases of cryptosporidium detected in patients with symptoms out of which 7 in immuno competent and 1 in immunocompromised. In immunocompetent subjects, the symptomatic patients showed increased incidence of cryptosporidium while in immunocompromised subjects only 1 case of cryptosporidium was detected. Out of 7 detected case of cryptosporidium in immunocompetent with symptoms 4(57.1%) were males and 3(42.9%) were females. In the same category in the group without symptoms cryptosporidium was detected in 1 subject out of 75 and that too was a female (100%). In immunocompetent subjects with symptoms. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, routine screening of faecal specimens should be encouraged for detection of cryptosporidium. Water reservoirs should be prohibited for animal use since they are widely present in animal population and can cause outbreaks of cryptosporidial diarrheoa.