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Prevalence of Cryptosporidium s . In ectio in R nal Transplant and Hemodialysi Patients

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Transplanted and hemodialysis patients are frequently affected by parasitic disea. es such as cryptosporidiosis. CI)יPtosporidium is a para ite causing self-limited diarrhea and enteritis in healthy individual . The prese nce of Cryptosporidium infection was studied in three groups including 87 renal transplant patients, 103 hemodialysis patients, and 60 health y individual as the control group. Two stoo l specimens were obtained from each case. The specimens were concentrated by the formalin-ether method and two smears were prepared from each. The smea were tained by modified acid -fast method and were observed under a light micro. cope. Ten (11.5%) renal transplant and 4 (3.88%) hemodialysis patients were positive for Cryptosporidium infection. No positive results were obtai ned in the control group. The results showed a statis tically signifi cant difference between renal transplant and con trol grou ps (P= 0.02), but the difference between hemodialysi and control groups was not significant (P= 0.2). The results also showed that the rate of Cryptosporidium infection in renal transplant patients was much higher than h modialysis patients. The susceptibility of renal transplant patients to Cryptosporidium infection is mueh more than other studied groups and this eould be due to immunosuppr ssive therapy in these patients.

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