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Abstract

The seasonal distribution of cryptosporidiosis in children in Aragón, a region in northeastern Spain, was determined. Over a period of six years (October 1988 to September 1994), 10,034 stool samples from 4,508 children with gastrointestinal symptoms were analyzed for this purpose. The age of the patients ranged from 1 month to 14 years.Cryptosporidium oocysts were identified in 87 (1.93%) patients. Prevalence was highest (6.20%) in children aged 1 to 3 years old. The prevalence was significantly higher in the autumn-winter period (October to March) than in the spring-summer period (April to September) in the whole population (2.41% vs. 1.35%, p=0.010) and in the 1- to 3-year-old age group (8.44% vs. 3.20%, p=0.002), but not in the other age groups. A possible relationship of this pattern to attendance at child care centres is suggested.

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Clavel, A., Olivares, J.L., Fleta, J. et al. Seasonally of cryptosporidiosis in children. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 15, 77–79 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01586190

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01586190

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