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What is Cryptosporidium?
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| Cryptosporidium (called crypto for short) is a one-celled organism that can cause a diarrheal disease known as cryptosporidiosis. Crypto can live in the intestines of humans, farm animals, wild animals and household pets. Crypto is too small to be seen by the naked eye. It can live outside the body for a long time in water and on surfaces, but cannot multiply unless it is in the intestines. If a person or animal swallows crypto, they can get sick and have watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and upset stomach or a slight fever. |
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Where is Crypto Found?
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| Both human and animal feces can contain crypto. Crypto has found its way into most lakes, rivers and streams in all parts of the United States. It may also sometimes be found in wells or springs. |
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How Can Crypto Affect My Health?
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| Two to 10 days after you swallow crypto, you may get diarrhea which might be watery, and you may also get stomach cramps, vomiting, upset stomach or a slight fever. If you are healthy with a normal immune system, your symptoms normally will last for two weeks or less, although you may feel better and then worse. Some people with cryptosporidiosis may not get sick, but they can still pass the disease to others. After you are infected you can pass crypto in your feces for up to two months, and maybe give the disease to other people. If you have a severely weakened immune system you may have cryptosporidiosis for a longer time. You should talk to your health care provider to learn how to avoid cryptosporidiosis. Examples of people with weakened immune systems include HIV/AIDS patients and cancer and transplant patients. |
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How Would I Know If I Have Cryptosporidiosis?
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| If you have severe diarrhea for more than four days, you should ask your doctor to have your feces tested for crypto. If you have a very young child with severe diarrhea, you should go even sooner. Only a test of your feces can show whether or not you have cryptosporidiosis. |
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What Is The Treatment For Cryptosporidiosis?
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| There is no drug yet that can cure cryptosporidiosis. Most people will recover on their own. You should drink plenty of fluids if you have diarrhea. However, if you have a weakened immune system, you should seek medical advice. |
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How Is Cryptosporidiosis Spread?
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| You can become infected only by swallowing crypto. Even a small amount may cause disease. Some sources of disease are:
- Contact with the feces of infected persons (e.g., changing diapers).
- Contact with the feces of infected animals (e.g., pets and farm animals).
- Hand-to-mouth transfer of crypto from surfaces or objects that may have gotten infected feces on them (e.g., diaper changing tables, garden soil, bathrooms).
- Swallowing water with crypto in it while swimming.
- Drinking water with crypto in it.
- Eating raw or undercooked food that has crypto in it.
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How Can I Protect Myself?
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- Always wash your hands with soap and water any time you might have touched human or animal feces, changed diapers, cleaned up feces, or gardened. Always wash your hands before eating.
- Know the source of your water: (a) do not drink or swallow water directly from rivers, lakes, streams, pools or spas; (b) if you travel outside the United States you may want to avoid drinking water that has not been boiled or filtered for crypto.
- If you are immunocompromised, you should consider additional protective steps such as boiling your drinking water for one minute, which will kill any crypto in it. You could also use a water filter certified by NSF International to remove crypto or drink only bottled water certified by NSF or drink only canned and bottled bubbly drinks. You can call NSF to learn more about water filters and bottled water at 1-800-673-8010.
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