Molecular study of Cryptosporidium spp. among diarrheal patients at Wasit province, Iraq

Cryptosporidium is a coccidian protozoan parasite infecting alimentary system and epithelial respiratory tract of humans and a wide range of vertebrates such as mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. This study was carried out in Al-Kut city, Iraq, in two major hospitals: Al-Kut Hospital for Gynecology, Obstetric and Pediatric and Al-Karama Teaching Hospital, which included collection of stool samples from diarrheal patients. 96 stool samples taken from patients with different ages and both genders were examined by multiplex PCR technique. The results showed that the percentage of Cryptosporidium spp. infection was 39.6% and 4.2% for C. parvum and C. hominis, respectively. There are no statistically significant associates between gender and Cryptosporidium infection. The higher infection for C. parvum (41.2%) appeared in females, while the higher infection for C. hominis was found in male (4.8%). The study showed that the percentage of C. parvum infection in the rural areas is more than the urban, where the percentage in rural areas (52.9%) showed a significant difference at p = 0.004, while the infection rate for C. hominis was 6.7% in urban area. Regarding the water source, higher cryptosporidiosis rate was found in participants who used bottled water than in those who used tap water, and there is statistical significant between C. parvum infection and water source (p = 0.03), while the high infection in individuals who used bottled water were 58%. The present study aimed to determine the common Cryptosporidium species in diarrhea samples.