Cryptosporidium among children with acute diarrhoea in the west of Ireland

During a period of 12 months beginning on 18 February 1985, 1246 specimens of faeces from 935 children aged 3 weeks to 12 years with acute diarrhoea of varying severity were examined for the presence of cryptosporidium oocysts. Twenty-six patients required admission to hospital; four of them needed intravenous rehydration. Predominant clinical features were diarrhoea, often watery, and vomiting. Diarrhoea varied in duration between 7-15 days. Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in specimens from 41 patients, an incidence of 4·3%. In four patients an additional enteropathogen was identified (Campylobacter species in two and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in two - serotypes 0126: K71 (B16) and 018C : K77 (B12)). None of the patients had recently travelled abroad. Of the children 23 were from a farming or rural background. Eight of the farms had recently had significant outbreaks of diarrhoea among calves. There was a marked seasonal variation with 27 of the cases arising between 18 February and 18 June, an incidence during this period of 8%.