Childhood cryptosporidiosis case report and review of literature: An ignored differential for chronic diarrhoea

Introduction : Diarrhoea is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children under five accounting for 526,000 deaths annually or 9% of all deaths in in this age group worldwide in 2015. Cryptosporidium is one of the major pathogens causing diarrhea worldwide. At present, cryptosporidiosis is difficult to prevent and control, especially in immunocompromised hosts. It may cause life-threatening diarrhea and malabsorption among children and immunocompromised patients. Therefore, it is very important to explore rapid diagnostic tools and treatment methods for Cryptosporidium infection. Case Report : We reported a case of severe diarrhoea caused by cryptosporidiosis in a 7 year old child which was finally confirmed by histopathology and giemsa stain. His illness was resolved with immunosuppression regulation, nitazoxanide administration, and infection control. Conclusion : So far, nitazoxanide is still the first choice for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. Our institutional experience suggested that nitazoxanide alone may be effective on the basis of adjusting immunosuppressant. In addition, even though diagnosis of Cryptosporidium infection is a challenge, giemsa can help in diagnosis as a rapid screening tool in low-prevalence setting.