Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Studying Cryptosporidium Infection in 3D Tissue-derived Human Organoid Culture Systems by Microinjection
Published on: September 14, 2019
Epidemiology of Cryptosporidium parvum in symptomatic paediatric oncology patients
1Department of Microbiology, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. dburgner@worf.molbiol.ox.ac.uk
Background:
Although Cryptosporidium parvum is known to cause significant morbidity in immunocompromised individuals, including adults with cancer, the epidemiology of this pathogen in paediatric oncology patients is not known.
Objective:
We prospectively investigated the incidence of symptomatic C. parvum infection in children receiving treatment for malignancy.
Methodology:
Over a 9 month period, all oncology inpatients with diarrhoea had stool analysis for C. parvum oocysts. The incidence of cryptosporidiosis was also recorded in non-oncology patients who had a stool analysed for C. parvum during the 6 years of the study period.
Results:
None of the 149 stool samples from 60 oncology patients analysed contained C. parvum oocysts. Thirteen per cent of 173 samples from non-oncology patients were positive for C. parvum oocysts.
Conclusions:
In contrast to studies of adult oncology patients, paediatric oncology patients in our institution appear at low risk of cryptosporidiosis.
Related Concept Videos
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Cryptococcal Meningitis
Giardiasis
Amebiasis

