Prevalence and genotyping of Cryptosporidium isolated from HIV/AIDS patients in urban areas of Thailand.

An important parasitic infection among HIV/AIDS patients is the cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium is an intestinal protozoan that causes severe diarrhea and may lead to death in immunocompromised hosts. Cryptosporidiosis may occur sporadically or as outbreaks following zoonotic transmission from farm animals, person-to-person spread or the contamination of water supplied (Karanis et al., 2007). New species and genotypes of the Cryptosporidium genus are being identified in recent years and there is evidence that more than one Cryptosporidium species are involved in human infections and disease (Hunter & Thompson, 2005). Currently, 16 Cryptosporidium species have been considered to be valid, and C. hominis and C. parvum appear to be most widely distributed (Plutzer & Karanis, 2009). Cryptosporidiosis had been recognized as opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. Studies on the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in HIV/AIDS patients have mostly been restricted to those with diarrhea, or have been based on surveillance data. The occurrence of cryptosporidiosis increased worldwide due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the average prevalence rate in developing countries of 24% (range: 8.7–48%). Cryptosporidiosis is a significant infectious disease among the HIV/AIDS patients in Thailand, and the prevalence rate has been previously reported between 2.5% and 25% (Thamlikitkul et al., 1987; Jongwutiwes et al., 1990; Moolasat et al., 1995; Uga et al., 1998; Saksirisampant et al., 2002; Jirapiyo et al., 2002; Gatei et al., 2002; Tiangtip & Jongwutiwes, 2002; Wiwanitkit & Srisuphanunt, 2006; Srisuphanunt et al., 2008). Herein we describe the prevalence and Cryptosporidium species among of HIV/AIDS-infected patients with diarrhea from different hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand.