Authors: Anna Bajer Małgorzata Bednarska Simone M Cacciò Beata WolskaKuśnierz Edyta HeropolitanskaPliszka Ewa Bernatowska Małgorzata Wielopolska Anna Paziewska Renata WelcFalęciak Edward Siński
Publish Date: 2008/02/27
Volume: 103, Issue: 1, Pages: 37-42
Abstract
Cryptosporidium spp infection is usually selflimited in immunocompetent hosts but can be severe and life threatening in children and in immunocompromised individuals including those with primary or acquired immunodeficiencies One hundred and three faecal samples were collected from 35 hospitalised patients with different symptoms and tested for the presence of the parasite Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in four of 35 patients 114 using Ziehl–Neelsen staining of faecal smears and immunofluorescence assay whereas 12 343 samples tested positive by nested polymerase chain reaction assay Cryptosporidium DNA was detected in one bile sample but not in a liver tissue biopsy sample collected from a patient who suffered from sclerosing cholangitis Sequence analysis of oocyst wall protein and betatubulin gene fragments revealed three different parasite species Cryptosporidium hominis Cryptosporidium meleagridis and Cryptosporidium parvum in children with primary immunodeficiencies whereas only C parvum was found in immunocompetent individuals and in those with secondary immunodeficiencies This study has revealed a high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in hospitalised patients in Poland and confirmed that molecular techniques enable a more sensitive detection of the parasite
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