Cryptosporidiosis in children in Wuhu

Abstract

From May to September 1989, a survey was carried out on the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in the outpatients with diarrhea from paediatric department of five hospitals in Wuhu, Anhui Province. Cryptosporidium oocysts were identified in stool specimens from 67 of 3,498 outpatients (1.9%). No difference was found between the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in males and that in females. No Cryptosporidium oocysts was identified in stool specimens from infants under 6-month-old. 86.2% of the cases were distributed in the age range from 7-month-old to 4-year-old. The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in rural outpatients was two fold of that in urban outpatients. The occurrence of cases was highly sporadic. The prevalence began to rise from the last third of June. In our survey, 92.5% of the cases was distributed in the time range from the last third of June to September. In all of the cases no unique characteristic was found in clinical manifestations and stool appearance, and symptoms were resolved spontaneously. The duration of symptoms seems shorter than documented.