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Enteritis por criptosporidio - Overview

Nombres alternativos

Criptosporidiosis

Definición:

Es una infección del intestino delgado con el parásito criptosporidio que causa diarrea.

Causas, incidencia y factores de riesgo:

El criptosporidio ha sido recientemente reconocido como causa de diarrea en todos los grupos de edades a nivel mundial. Su mayor impacto ha sido entre los individuos con sistemas inmunitarios debilitados, como:

Personas que toman medicamentos para inhibir su sistema inmunitario
Personas con SIDA o VIH
Receptores de trasplantes

En estos grupos, la infección diarreica no sólo es molesta, sino que puede llevar a pérdida de masa corporal y muscular (emaciación) y desnutrición graves y potencialmente mortales.

El principal factor de riesgo para la adquisición de esta infección es la ingesta de agua contaminada con materia fecal. Las personas con mayor riesgo son:

Las personas que manipulan animales
Los hombres homosexuales
Las personas que tienen contacto cercano con individuos infectados
Los niños pequeños

Los brotes de la enfermedad han estado ligados a:

Tomar agua de los sistemas públicos de suministro de agua contaminados
Consumo de jugo de cidra no pasteurizado
Nadar en piscinas y lagos contaminados

Cryptosporidium

Órganos del sistema digestivo

Reviewed last on: 5/25/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Referencias

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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