Department of Zoology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan.
Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
PLoS One. 2019 Jan 2;14(1):e0209188. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209188. eCollection 2019.
Cryptosporidium spp are important intestinal protozoan parasites that cause diarrhea in humans, domestic and wild animals. Its infection remains a main public health concern however, the epidemics in human being is still unclear, particularly in developing countries. There are several factors that may enhance the spreading of this parasite in human population especially in young children.
A questionnaire was designed to obtain the demographic and clinical data from the participants. A total of 425 stool samples were collected from suspected children (aged 3-10 years) in different hospitals and villages. The initial screening was performed with modified Ziehl Neelsen (mZN) staining technique followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Several potential risk factors were also assessed through the obtained information from suspected individuals.
Out of all 425 collected samples, 127 were observed positive by mZN with a prevalence of 29.88% (127/425). The 127 mZN positive samples together with 50 mZN negative samples were processed for molecular analysis through PCR assay. Among them, 71 out of 127 mZN positive samples and 4 out of 50 mZN negative samples were found positive by PCR. The molecular analysis showed that Cryptosporidium parvum was the main cause of infection in children. The results revealed that individuals exposed to diarrhea were more likely to be infected with Cryptosporidium infection while several environmental factors may also play a key role in spreading of this parasite.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: The current high prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection may be due to the lack of awareness and routine based testing in identification of this parasite in District Buner. Further studies are required to determine the importance of Cryptosporidium infection in this area as well as across the country and to find out the possible risk factors that may be associated with the occurrence of this protozoan. There is, however, an urgent need for laboratory-based observational studies to develop a more dynamic estimate of the cryptosporidial disease burden in the region.
隐孢子虫是一种重要的肠道原生动物寄生虫，可引起人类、家养和野生动物腹泻。然而，其感染仍然是一个主要的公共卫生关注点，特别是在发展中国家，人类中的流行情况仍不清楚。有几个因素可能会增加这种寄生虫在人类中的传播，特别是在幼儿中。
设计了一份问卷，从参与者那里获取人口统计学和临床数据。从不同医院和村庄的疑似儿童（年龄 3-10 岁）中收集了 425 份粪便样本。最初的筛选是用改良的齐氏染色（mZN）技术进行的，然后是聚合酶链反应（PCR）。还通过从疑似个体获得的信息评估了几个潜在的危险因素。
在所收集的 425 个样本中，有 127 个用 mZN 观察到阳性，阳性率为 29.88%（127/425）。用 mZN 阳性的 127 个样本与 50 个 mZN 阴性样本一起进行分子分析，通过 PCR 检测。其中，127 个 mZN 阳性样本中有 71 个和 50 个 mZN 阴性样本中有 4 个通过 PCR 检测呈阳性。分子分析表明，微小隐孢子虫是导致儿童感染的主要原因。结果表明，接触腹泻的个体更有可能感染隐孢子虫感染，而几个环境因素也可能在这种寄生虫的传播中发挥关键作用。
结论/研究意义：目前隐孢子虫感染的高流行率可能是由于在布纳地区缺乏对这种寄生虫的检测意识和常规检测。需要进一步研究以确定该地区以及全国范围内隐孢子虫感染的重要性，并发现可能与这种原生动物发生相关的可能危险因素。然而，迫切需要开展基于实验室的观察性研究，以更动态地估计该地区的隐孢子虫病负担。
