Most common cause of diarrhea in AIDS patients:: (A) Salmonella typhimurium, (B) Cryptosporidium, (C) Candida, (D) E. coli
Answer is B. Cryptosporidia, microsporidia, and Isospora belli are the most common oppounistic protozoa that infect the GI tract and cause diarrhea in HIV-infected patients. Diarrhea is accompanied by crampy abdominal pain,nausea and/or vomiting. Diagnosis- stool examination or biopsy of the small intestine. The diarrhea is noninflammatory, and the characteristic finding is the presence of oocysts that stain with acid-fast dyes. Therapy is predominantly suppoive Treatment :- with up to 2000 mg/d of nitazoxanide (NTZ) is associated with improvement in symptoms or a decrease in shedding of organisms in about half of patients.