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Cryptosporidium Spread in a Group Residential Home
- Cynthia L. Sears, MD;
- Robert D. Newman, MD; and
- Richard L. Guerrant, MD
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IN RESPONSE:
The letter by Drs. Heald and Bartlett further suggests that C. parvum should be regarded as a highly infectious enteric pathogen. The 50% rate of secondary transmission they observed in the first group residential home is similar to the rate of potential person-to-person transmission observed in our studies in an urban slum in northeast Brazil [1]. Further evidence of the ease with which cryptosporidia are spread comes from the apparent nosocomial acquisition of cryptosporidial infection by 45% of nurses, housestaff, and students caring for patients with AIDS and cryptosporidiosis [2]. Given the recently reported low infectious inoculum for C. parvum infection in humans [3] and the hardy nature of the oocyst of this parasite, the sources of environmental transmission suggested by Heald and Bartlett seem plausible. In the future, the development of molecular diagnostic methods for C. parvum infections will enable studies to determine whether clusters of patients infected with C. parvum carry the same parasite strain. These studies should also allow reservoirs of infection to be clearly identified. We concur that to limit the spread of C. parvum, strict infection control measures are necessary, particularly in crowded living conditions and for immunocompromised patients.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
- Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
