Cryptosporidiosis Health Dictionary

A type of diarrhoeal infection caused by protozoa, which may be spread from person to person or from domestic animals to people. The disease causes watery diarrhoea and sometimes fever and abdominal pain. It is most common in children but also occurs in male homosexuals. Treatment, apart from rehydration therapy, is not usually needed except for people whose immune system is suppressed, in whom the infection may be much more severe.

n. an intestinal infection of mammals and birds caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium, which is usually transmitted to humans via farm animals. Ingestion of water or milk contaminated with infective oocysts results in severe diarrhoea and abdominal cramps, caused by release of a toxin. Most patients recover in 7–14 days, but the disease can persist in the immunocompromised (including AIDS patients), the elderly, and young children.