Treatment of Cryptosporidium: What We Know, Gaps, and the Way Forward

Hayley Sparks, Gayatri Nair, Alejandro Castellanos-Gonzalez, A. Clinton White

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

54 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is increasingly recognized as an important global health concern. While initially reported in immunocompromised patients such as AIDS patients, cryptosporidiosis has now been documented as a major cause of childhood diarrhea and an important factor in childhood malnutrition. Currently, nitazoxanide is the only proven anti-parasitic treatment for Cryptosporidium infections. However, it is not effective in severely immunocompromised patients and there is limited data in infants. Immune reconstitution or decreased immunosuppression is critical to therapy in AIDS and transplant patients. This limitation of treatment options presents a major public health challenge given the important burden of disease. Repurposing of drugs developed for other indications and development of inhibitors for novel targets offer hope for improved therapies, but none have advanced to clinical studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)181-187
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Tropical Medicine Reports
Volume2
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 6 2015

Keywords

  • Cryptosporidiosis
  • Cryptosporidium
  • Cryptosporidium hominis
  • Cryptosporidium parvum
  • Nitazoxanide
  • Paromomycin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Infectious Diseases

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