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Cryptosporidium


Immunocompromised Persons

People with weakened immune systems may be at higher risk for acquiring cryptosporidosis. If you are immunocompromised, you should talk to your health care provider for additional guidance.

CDC also has some resources to answer questions that immunocompromised people and their health care providers might have about infection with Cryptosporidium.

http://www.cdc.gov/crypto/ic.html

In persons with AIDS and in others whose immune system is weakened, Crypto can be serious, long-lasting, and sometimes fatal. If your CD4+ cell count is below 200/mm3, Crypto is more likely to cause severe symptoms and complications, including prolonged diarrhea, dehydration, and possibly death. If your CD4+ count is above 200/mm3, your illness may not last more than 1 to 3 weeks, or slightly longer. However, you could still carry the infection, which means that the Crypto parasites are living in your intestine but are not causing illness. As a carrier of Crypto, you could infect other people. If your CD4+ count later drops below 200/mm3, your symptoms may reappear. For persons taking immunosuppressive drugs, the Crypto infection usually resolves when the doses are reduced or the drugs are stopped. Persons taking immunosuppressive drugs need to consult their health care provider if they believe they have cryptosporidiosis.

Nitazoxanide has been FDA-approved for treatment of diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium in people with healthy immune systems and is available by prescription. However, the effectiveness of nitazoxanide in immunosuppressed individuals is unclear. Some drugs, such as paromomycin, may reduce the symptoms of Crypto and new drugs are being tested. However, Crypto is usually not cured in people with immunosuppression and may come back if the immune status worsens.

For persons with AIDS, anti-retroviral therapy that improves immune status will also decrease or eliminate symptoms of Crypto infection. See your health care provider to discuss treatment and anti-retroviral therapy used to improve immune status.