EVALUATING THE FREQUENCY OF CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS IN CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OF AGE PRESENTING WITH DIARRHEAL DISEASE

Cryptosporidium species are the second leading cause of diarrheal disease and death in children of de-veloping countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium among children under 5 years old with diarrhea, who were admitted to a big tertiary hospital in Egypt. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving children 200aged <5 years old in the gastroenterology causality at Cairo University Pediatric Hospital between February 2021 and October 2021. Morning stool samples were microscopically examined as fresh smears and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stained ma-terials. The results showed that all participants suffered from diarrhea <30 months old. A high prevalence 21/200 (10.5%) of Cryptosporidium was detected. But, there was no significant difference between cryptosporidiosis positive or negative cases with respect to stain technique, age, sex, residence, Z-score of weight, symptoms, or stool consistency .