Prevalence of cryptosporidiosis among children with diarrhoea under five years admitted to Kosti teaching hospital, Kosti City, Sudan

Background Cryptosporidiosis is a disease caused by infection with an intestinal coccidian parasite Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium species are the second leading cause of diarrheal disease and death in children in developing countries. Until now, no data have been available or published on its prevalence among children with diarrhea in Sudan. Therefore, this paper was designed to determine the prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium among children with diarrhea under 5 years who were admitted to Kosti Teaching Hospital. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study including children under 5 years old admitted to the pediatric section of the hospital between September 2020 and December 2020. A total of one-hundred and fifty stool samples were collected. All stool samples were examined using the modified Ziehl Neelsen (mZN) staining technique and then examined microscopically for Cryptosporidium infection. Results A total of 150 children were examined out of which 70 presented with diarrhea. A greater prevalence of 19/70 (27.1%) of Cryptosporidium was observed in children with diarrhea than children without diarrhea 7/80 (8.8%). There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and the presence of diarrhea in children under 5 years in the Kosti Teaching Hospital(P < 0.05). It was found that a higher prevalence was registered among children using piped-water sources for drinking. Conclusions The overall prevalence of parasite detected was 17.3% among children admitted to Kosti Teaching Hospital. The prevalence rate of the infection among Children with diarrhoea was 27.1%. Studying the prevalence rate of cryptosporidiosis among diarrheic children may predict their health status, leading to a better diagnosis, treatment, and, therefore, patients’ status improvement.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidiosis among Children with Diarrhoea Under Five years Admitted to Kosti Teaching Hospital, Kosti City, Sudan.

Background: Cryptosporidiosis is a disease caused by infection with an intestinal coccidian parasite Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium species are the second leading cause of diarrheal disease and death in children in developing countries. Until now, no data have been available or published on its prevalence rate among children with diarrhoea in Sudan. This paper was therefore, designed to determine the prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium among diarrhoeic children under 5 years admitted to Kosti Teaching Hospital. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study including children with ages under 5 years old admitted to the paediatric section of the hospital between September 2020 and December 2020. A total of one-hundred and fifty stool samples were collected. All stool samples were examined using the modified Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) staining technique, and examined microscopically for Cryptosporidium infection. Results: A total of 150 children were examined out of which 70 presented with diarrhoea. A greater prevalence of 19/70 (27.1%) of Cryptosporidium was observed in children with diarrhoea than children without diarrhoea 7/80 (8.8%). There was a significant relationship between the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and the presence of diarrhoea in children under 5 years in Kosti Teaching Hospital(P<0.05). It was found that a higher prevalence was registered among children using pipe water for drinking.Conclusions: The overall prevalence of parasite detected was 17.3% among children admitted to Kosti Teaching Hospital. The prevalence rate of the infection among Children with diarrhoea was 27.1%. Studying the prevalence rate of cryptosporidiosis among diarrheic children may predict their health status, leading to a better diagnosis, treatment, and therefore, patients' status improvement.

Prevalence of eimeriosis in the one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) from Riyadh and Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Background The one-humped camels are economically important for several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Coccidiosis causes significant economic impact. Studies on coccidian parasite species causing such infections are limited. The present study aimed to carry out a survey of Eimeria spp. in camels from Riyadh and Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Methods A total of 209 fecal samples from Camelus (C.) dromedarius slaughtered in West Abattoir in Riyadh and Onaizah Modern abattoir in Al-Qassim were collected. Samples were examined by flotation methods and oocyst sporulation. Results Of the 209 examined fecal samples, 75 were positive for Eimeria spp..The prevalence of oocysts in Riyadh and Al-Qassim were 33.89% (40/118) and 38.46% (35/92), respectively. The prevalence in young male camels was 41.02% (32/78) and 39.62% (21/53), respectively and in adult males was 19.35% (6/31) and 36% (9/25), respectively. Adult females displayed a prevalence of 22.22% (2/9) and 38.46% (5/13) in Riyadh and Al-Qassim, respectively. Three Eimeria spp. were identified; E. cameli, E. rajasthani, and E. pellerdyi. The presence of E. pellerdyi is considered the first record in Saudi Arabia.

Molecular Detection of Neospora caninum from Naturally Infected Dogs in Van Province, East Turkey

Neospora caninum is a coccidian parasite causing abortion in cattle and neurological problems in horses. Dogs are definitive hosts of N. caninum. Polymerase chain reaction is the most specific method used for the detection of N. caninum oocytes. In the present study, a total of 100 fecal samples were collected from naturally infected dogs. Of the 100 samples analyzed, 11 of them were detected with Hammondia/Neospora-like oocytes. Genomic DNA was isolated using a commercially available DNA extraction kit. The Nc5 gene specific to N. caninum was amplified by PCR and two of the eleven samples with Hammondia/Neospora-like oocytes formed ~337 bp repeatable band. In conclusion, N. caninum, which has been shown to cause neurological disorders in dogs and to abortion in cattle, was detected in naturally infected dogs in Van Province in Polymerase chain reaction.

Evaluation of an ensemble-based distance statistic for clustering MLST datasets using epidemiologically defined clusters of cyclosporiasis

Outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, a food-borne illness caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis have increased in the USA in recent years, with approximately 2300 laboratory-confirmed cases reported in 2018. Genotyping tools are needed to inform epidemiological investigations, yet genotyping Cyclospora has proven challenging due to its sexual reproductive cycle which produces complex infections characterized by high genetic heterogeneity. We used targeted amplicon deep sequencing and a recently described ensemble-based distance statistic that accommodates heterogeneous (mixed) genotypes and specimens with partial genotyping data, to genotype and cluster 648 C. cayetanensis samples submitted to CDC in 2018. The performance of the ensemble was assessed by comparing ensemble-identified genetic clusters to analogous clusters identified independently based on common food exposures. Using these epidemiologic clusters as a gold standard, the ensemble facilitated genetic clustering with 93.8% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity. Hence, we anticipate that this procedure will greatly complement epidemiologic investigations of cyclosporiasis.