Cryptosporidium sp in 300 children with and without diarrhea.

Cryptosporidium sp was searched prospectively by means of the Ziehl-Nielsen acid fast staining of stools in 403 samples obtained from patients with diarrhea (n =/152) or other non-gastrointestinal diseases (n =/152) in a six month period. Cryptosporidium was present in 11/304 samples (3.6%), 9 (81%) were taken from patients with diarrhea. Oocysts were detected in 5% of stools form malnourished (II or III) children with diarrhea; 10/11 (91%) with positive-cryptosporidium stools occurred in children less than one year of age. Cryptosporidium was present with increased frequency in malnourished children with diarrhea (p < 0.05).