Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Fact Sheet
Cryptosporidiosis (krip-toe-spo-rid-e-o-sis) is the disease, often called "crypto," caused by a one-celled animal, cryptosporidium parvum, which is too small to be seen without a microscope. When people get infected with cryptosporidium they can have watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, an upset stomach, or a slight fever. The first symptoms of crypto may appear 2 to 10 days after a person becomes infected.
In a healthy person with a normal immune system, symptoms normally will last for about two weeks or less, although individuals may recover then get worse again. Some people with crypto may not get sick, but they can still pass the disease to others. After infection an individual can pass cryptosporidia in the stool for months, and may give the disease to other people.
Individuals with severely weakened immune systems may have crypto for a longer time and should talk with their health care providers to learn how to avoid the disease. They can also call the CDC AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-2437 for more information on cryptosporidiosis.
Cryptosporidium infection can be caused by swallowing only a small amount of cryptosporidia.
Some sources of infection are:
Drinking water or ice may also contain cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is in many of the lakes and rivers that provide drinking water in the United States. Unlike most germs and one-celled animals, cryptosporidium is not killed by the chlorine used to treat drinking water. Boiling water is the best method of killing cryptosporidium. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one full minute. After the boiled water cools, it can be stored in a clean, sealed bottle or pitcher with a lid and used normally. Individuals should be careful not to touch the inside of their water bottles. Water can also be filtered to remove cryptosporidium. Only filters labeled as "reverse osmosis," and/or "tested and certified by NSF Standard 53 for cyst reduction" and/or "absolute micron size of one micron or smaller" are guaranteed to remove cryptosporidium. Persons drinking bottled water should look for evidence of these treatments on the bottled water label, or buy distilled water. Canned and bottled bubbly drinks, such as sodas and beer, are usually heated and filtered enough in the factory to remove or kill cryptosporidium. Hot tea and coffee also have no live cryptosporidia.
Stool: Cryptosporidium can be found on clothing, bedding or other things used by infected persons, such as persons with diarrhea or children in diapers. Individuals should always wash their hands after touching these things and before touching food or the mouth. Sex that may involve contact with stool, especially oral sex, can also pass cryptosporidia. The stool of domestic and farm animals, especially animals less than six months old or animals with diarrhea, can contain cryptosporidium. Individuals should always wash their hands after touching animals or cleaning up their stool or visiting barns and areas where these animals live.
Food: Vegetables and fruit that touch dirt might be contaminated. Washing vegetables and fruit that will not be cooked, with water that has been boiled or filtered to remove cryptosporidium or bottled water that does not contain cryptosporidium, can make them safer. Fruit that will not be cooked can also be peeled to make it safer. Cooked and packaged foods are probably safe if they are not handled by an infected person after cooking or processing. Unpasteurized milk or dairy products may not be safe.
Objects: Dirt in the garden and other places can become contaminated when an animal with crypto leaves its stool there. Any object, such as a faucet handle, diaper changing table or bed pan, that is touched by an infected person who did not wash well after using the toilet can be contaminated. Individuals should always wash their hands well after working in dirt or touching anything that could have been contaminated by a person with crypto.
There is no drug that can cure cryptosporidiosis. Healthy individuals will recover on their own. Persons with diarrhea should drink plenty of fluids and may want to drink an oral rehydration therapy mix, to avoid dehydration. These mixes are available at drug stores and sports stores. They may also wish to take anti-diarrheal medicine. Persons with weakened immune systems should consult their healthcare provider if they think they have crypto.
If someone is infected with cryptosporidium, they should wash their hands regularly, especially before preparing food and after going to the toilet; avoid close contact with anyone who may have a weakened immune system; and avoid swimming in public bathing areas (swimming pools, water parks etc.) while they have diarrhea and for at least two weeks after it clears up.
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