Ontario HIV Clinics' Fact Sheet CryptosporidiosisWhat is Cryptosporidiosis?
Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a parasite called CRYPTOSPORIDIUM. The parasite enters through your mouth and most often infects your bowels. However, it can
also infect your gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, bile ducts and lungs. How do I get it? Cryptopsoridium can be found in contaminated food and water. It can be passed from person to person by
poor handwashing, eating or drinking contaminated food and water, and by oral-anal sex (rimming). Cryptosporidium is found by testing stool samples or by a biopsy (taking a small sample of tissue from an
organ in your body and looking under a microscope for the parasite). Symptoms: What do I look for?
watery diarrhea (up to 25 times per day), stomach cramps or gas, nausea and vomiting, tiredness, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever
Can Cryptosporidiosis be prevented? The best way to prevent cryptosporidium is careful cooking and food preparation and making sure the water you drink is clean (tap water or bottled water). It
is important for everyone to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water and to always practise safer sex. How is Cryptosporidiosis treated?There is no standard treatment for cryptosporidiosis. Treatment
involves managing the symptoms, such as drinking more fluids to replace those lost with diarrhea. In some cases, if you lose alot of fluid you may require an intravenous to replace the fluid. The use of
antidiarrheal medications such as LOMOTIL and IMMODIUM may help control the diarrhea. Some drugs which may be used are PARAMOMYCIN (Humatin), SPIROMYCIN, AZITHROMYCIN and OCTREOTIDE (Sandostatin).
References Flaskerud, J., and P.J. Ungvarski. (1995). HIV/AIDS: A Guide to Nursing Care. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co. Gellin, B. G., and Rosemary Soave. (1992). Coccidian Infections in
AIDS. Nursing Clinics of North America, 76, (1), 216-222. Whitehead, M, and Patterson, B. (1993). Managing your Health. CATIE, pp. 111-114. Ontario HIV Clinics' Network, May 1996 |
