- Cryptosporidium - The Disease

The Disease In humans, cryptosporidiosis results in a self-limiting but unpleasant diarrhea in immunocompetent individuals with an incubation period of 2 to 10 days. Some of the associated symptoms include anorexia, weight loss, dehydration, abdominal cramping, and vomiting (i.e., headache, aching muscles, fever). On average, the symptoms last for 12 days with rare instances lasting as long as 4 weeks. In patients with depressed immunity due to disease (i.e., HIV infection, chemotherapy, etc.) or congenitally depressed immunity (e.g., hypogammaglobuinemia), similar symptoms are observed. The duration, however, can be much longer and some individuals never clear Cryptosporidium from their systems. In cases where suppression of the immune system cannot be reversed (e.g., by stopping immune suppressant therapy) these symptoms may persist until death.

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