Background: This is the first work done on cryptosporidiosis among the children in Taiz, Yemen.
Methods: A number of 712 samples were collected from children of different ages (ranging from 1 month to 12 years) from Dec 2006 to Aug 2007. The collected samples were examined by Sheather's sugar floatation and Modified Ziehl- Neelsen stain as well as ELISA methods. The test results were statistically analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: The overall positive percentage was 43.7%. The higher incidence (36.2%) was occurred in males while the lowest incidence (32.7%) was observed in females (r=0.876; P=0.001). The correlation between infected cases and the type of drinking water was r =0.121. Among the cases examined by ELISA (92 cases), 26.1% were infected. The correlation between seropositivity and gender was r=0.652 (P=0.031).
Conclusion: Cryptosporidium spp. is a significant pathogen among children at Taiz. Fresh water supplies, education, eating habits and domestic animals are considered the main sources for transmission of cryptosporidiosis.
Keywords: Children; Cryptosporidium; Diagnosis; Prevalence; Yemen.