Cryptosporidium parvum: Intensity of Infection and Oocyst Excretion Patterns in Healthy Volunteers

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 173; no. 1; pp. 232 - 236
• Main Authors: Chappell, Cynthia L., Okhuysen, Pablo C., Sterling, Charles R., DuPont, Herbert L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01-01-1996; University of Chicago Press; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: AIDS; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidiosis - parasitology; Cryptosporidiosis - transmission; Cryptosporidium parvum; Cryptosporidium parvum - isolation & purification; Cryptosporidium parvum - pathogenicity; Diarrhea; Diarrhea - parasitology; Disease Susceptibility; Diseases; Dosage; Excretion; Feces - parasitology; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Oocysts; Parasite Egg Count; Parasitic diseases; Protozoal diseases; Symptoms; Travel; Volunteerism; Human; Protozoa; Protozoal disease; Excretion; Prognosis; Parasitosis; Oocyst; Infection; Cryptosporidiosis; Symptomatology; Experimental disease; Cryptosporidium parvum; Feces; Sporozoa
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/173.1.232

Data about human Cryptosporidium parvum infection have originated from travelers, community and day care center outbreaks, and persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. In addition, experimental infection in 29 antibody-negative, healthy, adult volunteers generated information on the dose-infection response of C. parvum (Iowa strain). In that report, low inocula were sufficient to cause infection in 18 and illness in 7 persons. To further define the duration and intensity of infectionin this population, oocyst shedding patterns were investigated in the 18 subjects infected with C. parvum. Oocyst quantitation revealed that volunteers with diarrheal illness (n = 7) excreted more oocysts over the course of the infection than did volunteers without diarrhea (n = 11; P < .05). Symptomatic subjects were more likely to shed oocystson consecutive days. Further, a statistical nonsignificant inverse trend (r2 = .330, P = .136) was seen between challenge dose and total excreted oocysts. This paradox may relate to receptor saturation or a toxic effect on cells, parasites, or both afforded by a high inoculum.