Cryptosporidium Parvum In Patients With And Without Diarrhea In Abuja, Nigeria

A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients that attended the Federal Staff Hospital, Abuja for the purpose of establishing whether there was a difference between the prevalence of C. parvum in patients with diarrhea compared with those without diarrhea. The stools of a total of 354 patients were examined for the presence of C. parvum infection. The females were more infected than the males, 18 (10.84%) versus 14 (7.45%). In the individuals with diarrhea, the age group of 41-50 years had the highest prevalence of C. parvum infection (3, 33.33%), followed by those that were >50 years of age (2, 20.0%), and 31-40 years (3, 18.75%). In non-diarrhea individuals, those that were aged 31-40 years had the highest prevalence of C. parvum infection, (4, 10.53%), followed by those that were aged >50 years, (1, 7.69%). The mean age of the patients was 22.96 + 0.1 years (range 1-90 years; SD 0.93), with 188 males and 166 females. Diarrhea was present in 129 patients, and 225 had no diarrhea. In 16.28% (21/129) of the patients with diarrhoea, Cryptosporidium parvum was found, while in the control group 4.89% (11/225) was found to have the parasite. Among those with diarrhea, 21 had C. parvum, while 11 did not have diarrhea but had C. parvum. This study provides data for a more appropriate management and laid credence on the importance of routine stool cultures for the detection of coccidian parasites.