Purpose: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of
Crytposporidium in local population and to understand its epidemiology by molecular methods.
Methods: Faecal samples from 681 children and 804 adults, admitted to tertiary care hospitals in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad with complaints of diarrhoea; and six calves with diarrhoea, were screened for
Cryptosporidium oocysts by microscopy and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR RFLP) based identification of
Cryptosporidium species in positive specimens was done to elucidate epidemiology of
Cryptosporidium.
Results:
Cryptosporidium was found in 52 (7.6%) children and 7(0.9%) adults and 1(16.6%) calf with diarrhoea. The prevalence of
Cryptosporidium in children below five years of age was 8.2% and 14.3% in children in the age group of six months to one year. Of the 42 samples genotyped 29 (69%) were
C. hominis
and 8 (19%) were
C. parvum
and 5 (11.9%) were mixed infection with the two species.
Conclusions : Children in the age group of six months to one year were found to be the most vulnerable. The occurrence of
C. parvum, in nearly one third of cases in the present series indicates that the zoonotic transmission is of considerable significance in the epidemiology of
Cryptosporidiosis in the study area.
