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Cryptosporidium in asymptomatic children
A F Vuorio1, A M Jokipii, L Jokipii
1Department of Serology and Bacteriology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Cryptosporidiosis is often considered a childhood disease, but this study found no cases in children under five. This suggests a different age distribution for cryptosporidiosis than previously reported.
Area of Science:
- Medical Parasitology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cryptosporidiosis is frequently characterized as a disease predominantly affecting young children.
- Existing literature suggests a specific age demographic for symptomatic cryptosporidiosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and age distribution of cryptosporidiosis in preschool children.
- To challenge the established understanding of cryptosporidiosis's typical age group.
Main Methods:
- Fecal samples were collected from 423 healthy preschool children.
- Cryptosporidium species detection was performed on collected samples.
- Data was combined with previous study findings for a comprehensive analysis.
Main Results:
- No Cryptosporidium species were detected in any of the 423 healthy preschool children's fecal samples.
- The prevalence of Cryptosporidium in this cohort was less than 0.24%.
- Combined data indicated a prevalence of less than 0.18% for children under five in the Helsinki area, contradicting typical findings.
Conclusions:
- The study indicates an inverse age distribution for cryptosporidiosis, with minimal prevalence in children under five.
- Findings suggest that the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis, particularly its age distribution, requires further investigation, considering asymptomatic carriers and local variations.
- The Helsinki area's low prevalence aligns with global trends when excluding exceptional high-prevalence locations.
Abstract:
Recent reviews state that cryptosporidiosis is a disease particularly of young children, but we have found the opposite age distribution, with no cases in children less than 5 years old. No Cryptosporidium species was detected in fecal samples obtained from 423 healthy preschool children, for a prevalence of less than 0.24%. When these results were combined with our previous data (from a study of diagnostic stool samples), the prevalence of Cryptosporidium among children less than 5 years of age in the Helsinki area was calculated to be less than 0.18%. The worldwide prevalence of Cryptosporidium among asymptomatic children is less than 0.5% if a few exceptional localities with high prevalences (which probably have a local explanation) are excluded from the calculations. Since the Helsinki area turned out to be no exception, the age distribution of symptomatic cryptosporidiosis also needs further study that would take into account simultaneous asymptomatic carrier rates and a significant local variation.