Concomitant cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis among diarrhoeic children in Egypt: epidemiological study

The hundred stool specimens from diarrhoeic children and 60 non-diarrhoeic controls collected from three different Egyptian localities were examined for Cryptosporidia and Giardia lamblia. Cryptospo-rdium oocysts were detected in 8 [2.66%] diarrhoeic specimens while not detected in any of the control specimens. Positive cases were detected in the hot humid months [July, August, September] with high incidence in the second year of life. Near by prevalence rates [3.2%, 2.7% and 2.2%] were obtained in the three localities suggesting sporadic distribution of infection all around Egypt. Person-to person transmission via the faecal-oral route seems to be the most important way for the spread of infection G. lamblia was detected in 54 out of the 300 [18%] diarrhoeic specimens, 3 out of these 54 [5.55%] with Giardia had also Crystosporidium oocysts compared with 5 out of 246 [2.03%] without Giardia. Statistically no association was detected between the presence of the two parasites in stool specimens. However, Cryptosporidium positive cases in children with gardiasis were more frequent [2.7 times] than in children without giardiasis. The significance of these findings is presented