Cryptosporidiosis
Contents
Pathogenesis
- Fecal-oral transmission (eg., contaminated water, animal contact)
graph LR
A[Oocyte ingestion] --> B[Sporozoite attachment to intestinal epithelium]
B --> C[Intraluminal meront formation]
C --> D[Fecal oocyte shedding]
Clinical manifestation
- IMMUNOCOMPETENT - self-resolving. watery diarrhea <2 weeks
- IMMUNOCOMPROMISED - prolonged, sever diarrhea with weight loss/malabsorption
Diagnosis
- Stool PCR testing
- Stool microscopy: acid-fast staining oocysts or immunofluorescent assay
- Histology: basophilic Cryptosporidium organisms on intestinal brush border, small intestine villous blunting, lamina propria inflammation.