Post-COVID-19 cryptosporidiosis: A serious risk or mere association?
https://doi.org/10.47665/tb.40.2.012
- Author:
Enas, A.E.
1
;
Hadel, M.A.
2
;
Emad, A.A.
3
;
Ibrahim, B.E.
4
;
Morsy, S.
5
;
Noha, M.A.
6
Author Information
1. Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt&Medical Parasitology Department, Armed Forces College of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt
2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, Taibah University, KSA
3. Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Taibah University, KSA
4. Physiological Sciences Department, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, KSA&Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
5. Pathological Sciences Department, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, KSA&Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Alexandria University, Egypt
6. Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt&
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
COVID-19;
Cryptosporidium genotype 1;
inflammatory biomarkers;
H. pylori infections;
occult blood.
- From:Tropical Biomedicine
2023;40(No.2):199-207
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Post-COVID-19 conditions encompass a wide range of health problems, including enteritis, but their
association with parasitic infections has not yet been investigated. This study analyzed gastrointestinal
symptoms, medical histories, fecal Cryptosporidium oocysts, and the history of COVID-19 infection
in patients who attended the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, from January to July 2021. Fecal
biomarkers, including H. pylori, occult blood, fecal calprotectin (FCAL), and TNF-a, were measured, and
Cryptosporidium spp. genotypes were molecularly characterized among post-COVID-19 patients using
RFLP. Preliminary results from 210 post-COVID-19 patients revealed that group 1 (Cryptosporidiumpositive) (n = 49) and group 2 (Cryptosporidium-negative) (n = 161) showed no significant difference in
the prevalence rate of diabetes mellitus (DM). While group 2 was linked to diarrhea, only infections with
Cryptosporidium post-COVID-19 were related to chronic diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. A total of
220 healthy subjects served as negative controls. Administering azithromycin, hydroxychloroquine, and
ivermectin was significantly related to an increased risk of Cryptosporidium infection in group 1, whereas
only azithromycin was more frequently recorded in group 2. Antioxidant supplementation insignificantly
affected the incidence of cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis with a history of COVID-19 was linked to H.
pylori infections, increased inflammatory biomarkers (FCAL and TNF-a), and occult blood when compared
with group 2. Cryptosporidium genotype 1 was the most commonly occurring subset in individuals with
post-COVID-19. The findings demonstrated that aggravating gastrointestinal manifestations, increased
fecal biomarkers and anti-COVID-19 therapeutic interventions are significantly related to the existence
of Cryptosporidium oocysts in patients with post-COVID-19, indicating the predominance of.
- Full text:8.2023my1408.pdf
