Abstract
We report a case-control study of sporadic cryptosporidiosis with genotyping of isolates from case-patients. A postal questionnaire was completed by 427 patients and 427 controls. We obtained genotyping data on isolates from 191 patients; 115 were Cryptosporidium hominis, and 76 were C. parvum. When all cryptosporidiosis cases were analyzed, three variables were strongly associated with illness: travel outside the United Kingdom, contact with another person with diarrhea, and touching cattle. Eating ice cream and eating raw vegetables were both strongly negatively associated with illness. Helping a child <5 years of age to use the toilet and the number of glasses of tap water drunk at home each day were also independently positively associated with risk. Eating tomatoes was negatively associated. For C. hominis infections, the strongly significant risk factors were travel abroad and changing diapers of children <5 years of age. For C. parvum, eating raw vegetables and eating tomatoes were strongly negatively associated with illness; touching farm animals was associated with illness.
Highlights
We report a case-control study of sporadic cryptosporidiosis with genotyping of isolates from casepatients
191 (45%) had had strains sent to the Cryptosporidium Reference Laboratory, and the genotype was known; 115 were C. hominis and 76 were C. parvum
No significant differences were found between initial symptoms, severity of illness, or duration of hospital stay in persons infected with either C. hominis or C. parvum infections
Summary
We report a case-control study of sporadic cryptosporidiosis with genotyping of isolates from casepatients. We obtained genotyping data on isolates from 191 patients; 115 were Cryptosporidium hominis, and 76 were C. parvum. When all cryptosporidiosis cases were analyzed, three variables were strongly associated with illness: travel outside the United Kingdom, contact with another person with diarrhea, and touching cattle. Eating ice cream and eating raw vegetables were both strongly negatively associated with illness. For C. hominis infections, the strongly significant risk factors were travel abroad and changing diapers of children
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.