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Cryptosporidium enteritis - Symptom

Alternative Names

Cryptosporidiosis

Symptoms:

Abdominal cramping
Malaise
Malnutrition and weight loss (in severe cases)
Nausea
Watery diarrhea, usually large-volume and multiple times a day

Signs and tests:

Antibody test to see if cryptosporidium are in the stool
Intestinal biopsy (rare)
Special staining of the stool (called AFB staining)
Stool ova and parasites exam using a microsope

Cryptosporidium, organism

Digestive system organs

Reviewed last on: 5/19/2008
Sean O. Stitham, MD, private practice in Internal Medicine, Seattle, WA; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Montes M, DuPont HL. Enteritis, Enterocolitis and Infectious Diarrhea Syndromes. In: Cohen J, Powderly WG, Berkley SF, et al, eds. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier; 2004: chap 43.

Kirkpatrick BD, Sears CL. Cryptosporidiosis. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 371.

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