Cryptosporidiosis in HIV-infected patients.

Abstract

Although involved in biliary disease hepatitis pancreatitis arthritis and possibly respiratory tract infections also the protozoan organism Cryptosporidiosis parvum is primarily responsible for watery diarrhoea. A mean infective dose of 132 oocysts has been proved to be adequate in producing infection in healthy volunteers. Diarrhoea is self-limited in immunocompetent individuals or in those who CD4 cell counts are more than 200/mm/3 but may be severe sometimes cholera-like and unremitting or relapsing in severely immunodeficient patients (CD4 cell counts below 100/mm/3). (excerpt)