Cryptosporidiosis among pre-school children in Duhok city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Background and objective: The most prominent intestinal parasite causing watery diarrhea globally is cryptosporidiosis. The objectives of the study were directed to examine the frequency of Cryptosporidium spp. among pre-schoolchildren of age groups (≤5) years presenting with and without diarrhea, and determine associated risk factors related to this infection in children attending different daycare centers and kindergartens. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to find out the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis among preschool children. Participants examined from October 2022 to ending of February 2023 in the city of Duhok. Overall, (160) stool specimens were collected from children who attended different daycare centers and kindergartens in Duhok, all stool samples were examined microscopically by direct wet mount and modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain methods to detect the oocyst of Cryptosporidium spp. Results: The infection rate of cryptosporidiosis among the total infected stool children was (11.25%). The parasite infection showed a significant difference between boys and girls at P <0.05, the highest infection rate was found in age group of (3-4) years old (25%), followed by age group (5) years old (10.64%). The Modified Zihel-Neelsen stain test (75%), performed more accurate than the direct wet mount method (25%). Conclusion: The study showed Cryptosporidiosis were common health problems in various day care centers of Duhok city and active prevention programs must be considered for the improvement of cleanliness and health education.