Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in children and the elderly in southwestern Iran.

AIM: The current study investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. among children under 6 and adults over 60 years of age with diarrhea in the southwest of Iran.

BACKGROUND

Cryptosporidiosis is an opportunistic parasitic infection caused by the species Cryptosporidium that causes gastrointestinal complications and diarrhea.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Khuzestan province between January 2020 to December 2020. Out of 350 patients referring to medical centers with clinical signs of diarrhea, 57.4% were under six years of age and 42.6% were more than 60 years old. Fecal samples were examined using Modified Ziehl-Neelsen (MZN) staining and nested-PCR techniques.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the study population was 0.9% as determined by microscopic and molecular methods (3/47).

CONCLUSION

The study results confirm the prevalence of parasitic infections as reported in previous studies in other regions of Iran. Preventive health measures are necessary.