Assessment of the immune and nutritional status of the host in childhood diarrhoea due to cryptosporidium.

Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected microscopically in the concentrated faecal smears (stained by modified kinyoun's acid fast stain) in 13 out of 100 (13 per cent) cases of acute diarrhoea (AD < 2 weeks duration), 7 out of 50 (14 per cent) cases of chronic diarrhoea (CD > 2 weeks duration) and none in 50 age matched controls. The grades of malnutrition of the cases and controls were calculated by the weight for age criteria and the immune status assessed by the levels of serum immunoglobulins and SIgA in duodenal fluids. Malnutrition was observed in 6 out of 13 cases (46.1 per cent) in acute and 6 out of 7 cases (85.71 per cent) in chronic cryptosporidial diarrhoeas. There was no significant statistical difference (P > 0.05) in serum immunoglobulins and SIgA levels in chronic cryptosporidiosis. SIgA was significantly reduced (P > 0.05) in cases of acute cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium is an important cause of symptomatic infection in apparently immunocompetent children not having been detected in a single non-diarrhoeal control. Further a low SIgA could contribute to acute symptomatic cryptosporidiosis by favouring colonization with the parasite.