Cryptosporidiosis in children of eastern India

Cryptosporidium infection was found in association with acute diarrhoeal disease in ten patients (13%) of a total of 77 children below the age of 8 years admitted over a period of 1 year to Bhubaneswar Capital Hospital, Orissa state, India. Contrary to another report from South India, there were no asymptomatic cryptosporidium oocyst excretors detected either in the matched control group of 42 children without diarrhoea or in a group of 113 healthy school children investigated. A clustering of seven cases occurred in the months of the rainy season and of three cases in the winter months. Nine out of 63 children (14.3%) below the age of 2 years were infected. Seven of the ten infected children were significantly below their expected weight-for-age, but the mean weight-for-age did not differ from those of the uninfected children. The possible epidemiological factors in the transmission of cryptosporidium are discussed.