Cryptosporidium parvum in children with diarrhea in Mexico.

Using an anti-oocyst wall monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescence assay, the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum was evaluated in children with diarrhea from rural areas (selected from a door-to-door community survey) and from urban areas (patients attending hospitals) in the State of Puebla, Mexico. Prevalences of 9.4% in a rural population (n = 85) and 29.6% in a hospital-based urban population (n = 81). There was no consistent correlation between water source and other environmental data and the presence of C. parvum in stools. It is concluded that C. parvum may be an important pathogen associated with diarrhea in this Mexican state.