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National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention |
What is cryptosporidiosis? Cryptosporidiosis (krip-toe-spo-rid-e-O-sis) is a disease caused by a microscopic parasite, or germ, called Cryptosporidium parvum. Both the disease and the germ are often called "crypto". What are the symptoms of crypto? Most people who get crypto have watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, an upset stomach, or a slight fever. In some people, the diarrhea can be so severe that they lose weight. Other people with crypto have no symptoms. How does crypto affect someone with AIDS or HIV? Crypto can cause severe illness for a long time in people infected with HIV. You can die from crypto. If your CD4 (sometimes called T helper) cell count is below 200/mm3 , crypto may give you symptoms for a long time. If your CD4 cell count is above 200, your symptoms may last only 1 to 3 weeks. But even after your symptoms go away, you may still be carrying crypto. If you are carrying crypto, even without symptoms, you can give it to someone else. Also, your own symptoms may come back if your CD4 cell count later drops below 200. How is crypto spread? Crypto is spread in the feces (bowel movements). Crypto is NOT spread by contact with blood. You can get crypto by putting anything in your mouth that has touched the feces of a person or animal infected with crypto. You can’t tell by looking whether something has been in contact with feces, so you need to be aware of what these things may be. Things likely to be contaminated with feces are Skin around a person’s anus (especially important with sex partners) Animals (skin or fur of farm animals and household pets) Cat litter boxes Children in diapers Clothing, bedding, toilets, or bed pans used by someone with diarrhea Dirt (in gardens, yards, parks, etc.) Uncooked or unwashed food Water (for bathing, swimming,
or drinking)
Can crypto be treated?
Yes, but no drug cures it. Anti-retroviral
medicines (HIV medicines)
will decrease or get rid of
crypto symptoms. However,
crypto is usually not cured and
may come back if the immune
system gets weaker. Some
drugs, such as paromomycin (par-o-mo-MI-sin)
may reduce the symptoms of crypto. If
you suspect you may have crypto, talk with
your health care provider. If you have diarrhea,
you might become dehydrated. Drink
plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Oral
rehydration drinks work well. How can I protect myself from crypto? Wash your hands.
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Always wash your hands well after you touch
anything that might have had contact with
even the smallest amounts of human or
animal feces (see previous list). Even if you
wear gloves when you handle these things,
you should still wash your hands well when
you finish. Practice safer sex.
People with crypto may have it on their skin
in the anal and genital areas, thighs, and
buttocks. You can’t tell by looking if someone
has crypto, so you may want to protect
yourself in these ways with any sex partner:
Avoid "rimming" (kissing or licking the
anus). Rimming is likely to spread
cr ypto even if you and your partner
wash well before.
Always wash your hands well with soap
and water after touching your
partner’s anus or rectal area.
Be careful around animals.
Farm animals. If you visit a farm, try to
avoid touching the animals, especially
young animals (calves and lambs). Be
sure not to directly touch the feces from
any animal. After the visit, wash your
hands well with soap and water before
you prepare food or put anything in
your mouth. Have someone who does
not have HIV clean your shoes. If you
must clean your shoes yourself, wear
disposable gloves and wash your hands
well after taking off the gloves.
Household pets.
Most domestic animals
(dogs, cats, birds) are safe as
household pets. However, avoid contact
with pets that may have crypto. Pets
most likely to have crypto include
Be careful when swimming or using
hot tubs.
Do not swallow water when you swim or use a
hot tub. Crypto may be present in fresh water,
salt water, or even swimming pool water. Protect
yourself and others- do not swim or use
public hot tubs if you have diarrhea. Crypto is
not killed by the amount of chlorine used in
swimming pools, hot tubs, and at water parks. Wash and/or cook your food.
The outsides of vegetables and fruits may have
crypto on them. Washing removes crypto from
the surface, and cooking kills crypto.
Wash all vegetables or fruit you will eat
raw. If you can, peel fruit before eating.
Cook food whenever possible. Cooked
food and processed or packaged foods
should be safe if, after cooking or
processing, the food is not handled by
someone with crypto. Drink safe water.
Do not drink water straight from lakes,
ponds, rivers, streams, or springs.
Do not drink tap water without boiling it
if the public health department
announces that tap water may not be
safe for drinking.
You may choose to take extra steps to
lower the risk of getting crypto from tap
water. These steps may take time and
may cost money, so you may want to
talk about these with your doctor. If you
take these extra steps, you should do so
all the time, not just at home. Also,
remember that water and ice from a
refrigerator icemaker and drinks made at
a fountain are often made with
tap water. Ways to be sure your water is safe
Boil the water.
Distill the water.
Filter the water.
Not all home water filters remove crypto.
Drink bottled water.
Other drinks:
Take extra care when traveling. For more information, call:
Free referrals and information:
CDC National STD and AIDS Hotlines Free materials:
CDC National Prevention Information Network Free HIV/AIDS treatment information:
AIDSinfo Project Inform Drugs undergoing clinical trials: AIDSinfo Social Security Administration
CDC Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention Internet Child Health Insurance Program Information on water filters: Other brochures in this series include:
Coinfection with HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Last Updated: March 2001 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention Contact Us |