An Investigation into Cyclospora Infection in Children with Diarrhea referred to Tehran Children Medical Center, 2002-2003

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a new-emerging pathogenic protozoan parasite. It is a rare coccidian associated with gastrointestinal disorders. Cyclosporiasis occurs in persons of all age groups and either in immunocompetent or immunocompromised hosts. The most characteristic feature of this infection is a syndrome of acute or chronic diarrhea. This parasite is worldwide in distribution. Cyclospora can be transmitted by ingestion of water or food contaminated with oocysts. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of cyclospora cayetanensis in children with diarrhea. During twelve months(from June 2002 to June 2003) 420 stool samples from children under 10 years of age with diarrhea, admitted into Tehran Children Medical Center were screened. To detect and identify the organism, direct smear, formalin-ether concentration, and staining(modified acid fast) techniques were used. In this cross-sectional study, 31 out of 420 specimens(7.3%) showed parasite infection, but cyclospora cayetanensis was not detected in any of the stool samples. According to our study, it seems that cyclospora infection in Tehran is very rare and further studies with larger volume size of stool are necessary for cyclospora identification. We also suggest that medical practitioners and laboratories should be more aware of this infection and its diagnosis.