HIV opportunistic infection cryptosporidiosis: prevention and treatment guidelines
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief:, Ujjwal Rastogi, MBBS [2]
Overview
Cryptosporidiosis is caused by Cryptosporidium species, a group of protozoan parasites that infect the small bowel mucosa, and in immunosuppressed persons, the large bowel and extraintestinal sites. Those at greatest risk for disease are patients with advanced immunosuppression (i.e., CD4+ T lymphocyte counts generally <100 cells/µL)[1] The three most common species infecting humans are C. hominis (formerly C. parvum genotype 1 or human genotype), C. parvum (formerly C. parvum genotype 2 or bovine genotype), and C. meleagridis. In addition, infections with C. canis, C. felis, C. muris, and Cryptosporidium pig genotype have been reported in immunocompromised patients. Preliminary analyses indicate that some zoonotic species might have a stronger association with chronic diarrhea than C. hominis. However, whether the different Cryptosporidium species are associated with differences in severity of disease or response to therapy is unknown.