Cryptosporidium Parvum Case Summary

Cryptosporidium Parvum Case Summary
Johnny Doe, a 26-year old patient, is admitted to the local hospital’s emergency department with the complaints of severe nausea, abdominal cramps, and watery diarrhea. Johnny was previously diagnosed with HIV, about five years ago. The diarrhea began about two weeks ago and he has had eight to twelve watery stools per day, and also refers to a loss of appetite and low fevers. He is an active swimmer and goes swimming frequently in the local town lake as well as his community pool. After he was examined, his temperature reading was 100.5 °F, his blood pressure was 83/54, and his CD4 count came out to be 18 cells/mm3. However, no blood was found in the stool samples but under immunofluorescence microscopy and acid-fast sample testing, cryptosporidium parvum is analyzed.
The symptoms of this infection differ in an immunocompetent patient and immunocompromised patient. In an immunocompetent patient the diarrheal illness is acute and lasts one to two weeks, including frequent watery diarrhea (Hannahs). Other symptoms in immunocompetent patients include nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps, and low-grade fever.
During the initial communication between the host and the parasite, a series of molecular actions occur in order for the parasite life cycle to reach completion, which is basically stabling metabolically favorable conditions where the parasite can develop. Cryptosporidium parvum resides in the intestines and it is intracellular, usually outside the cytoplasm, explaining why these infections are resistant to most treatments. The watery diarrhea associated with this infection is mainly due to increased permeability of intestines, secretion of chloride, as well as malabsorption