Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
05:31
Studying Cryptosporidium Infection in 3D Tissue-derived Human Organoid Culture Systems by Microinjection
Published on: September 14, 2019
Human cryptosporidiosis: a review
1P. O. Ayuo, MBChB, MMed, Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Moi University, P. O. Box 4606, Eldoret 30100, Kenya.
East African Medical Journal
|November 10, 2009
Summary
Human cryptosporidiosis is a severe diarrheal illness, particularly in malnourished children and immunocompromised adults. While treatment options are limited, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is improving outcomes for AIDS patients.
Area of Science:
- Medical Parasitology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite causing cryptosporidiosis, a significant diarrheal illness.
- Risk factors, clinical presentation, and management strategies are crucial for understanding and controlling this infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the risk factors, clinical presentation, and management of human cryptosporidiosis.
- To provide an updated overview of Cryptosporidium infection in humans.
Main Methods:
- A literature review was conducted using PubMed.
- Relevant articles on Cryptosporidium taxonomy, epidemiology, clinical presentation, and management were selected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Cryptosporidiosis presents as a severe diarrheal disease, especially in malnourished children and immunocompromised adults.
- The prognosis for these populations is often poor.
- Drug therapy for cryptosporidiosis remains challenging, with management primarily supportive.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in individuals with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is decreasing.
- This decline is attributed to the widespread adoption of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).
- Further research into effective drug therapies is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:12Giardiasis
Giardiasis is a globally prevalent intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis (also known as G. lamblia or G. intestinalis). This flagellated protozoan is the most frequently identified intestinal parasite in the United States and worldwide. Transmission primarily occurs via the fecal-oral route, with infection arising from ingestion of water or food contaminated with cysts. Individuals in low-resource settings, international travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, daycare...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:27Cryptococcal Meningitis
Cryptococcal meningitis is a life-threatening opportunistic infection predominantly associated with HIV/AIDS, accounting for over 100,000 deaths annually worldwide. However, it also affects individuals with other forms of immunosuppression, including those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant recipients, patients with innate immunodeficiencies, and individuals with hematological disorders. The infection is caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii,...