use of oral immunoglobulin in the treatment of cryptosporidium in immunocompromised children

ABSTRACT

A seven month old baby presented with pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma and treated with ifosamide, vincristine and actinomycin D. A week after chemotherapy he developed diarrhoea, vomiting and febrile neutropenia and was given broad spectrum antibiotics and metronidazole. The fever settled but the diarrhoea and vomiting persisted. Stool examination confirm cryptosporidium which did not respond to the conventional treatment. Oral immunoglobulin was given for 4 days, following which the diarrhoea and vomiting became less frequent and the condition improved. Repeated stool cultures failed to grew cryptosporidium. We conclude that cryptosporidium can cause diarrhoea in the immunocompromised children and that oral immunoglobulins appear to be an effective mode of therapy