[Cryptosporidiosis: studies in children in communities of low socioeconomic level].

Cryptosporidium was detected in 2 (1.5%) out of 132 children under 2 years with acute diarrhea; in 2 (3.2%) out of 63 patients under 2 years with persistent diarrhea; in 1 (3.9%) out of 26 malnourished patients younger than 2 years with an episode of acute diarrhea and in 7 (1.4%) out of 516 pediatric ambulatory patients who consulted for acute or chronic diarrhea or recurrent abdominal pain. The clinical histories of the 5 infants with cryptosporidiosis who belonged to the first 3 studies, are presented. All they had prolonged diarrhea (more than 15 days long), and one of them showed low IgG and IgA serum concentrations, but normal proportions of T lymphocyte populations.