Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in sputum during screening for mycobacteria.

We report a case in which Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected during routine auramine screening of a sputum specimen for acid-fast bacilli. The patient was a 28-year-old male with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and intestinal cryptosporidiosis. Microbiology laboratory workers should be alert to the possibility that these oocysts may be present in sputum specimens from patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.