EDITORIAL

Cryptosporidiosis: the treatment dilemma Cryptosporidiosis, caused by infection with the proto-zoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum, was first recognised as an intestinal disease entity in man in 1976, but ascended to even greater medical importance in 1982 with the advent of the AIDS epidemic [1]. In immunocompromised patients, and particularly those with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), persistent diarrhoea, malabsorption, weight loss and even death result from infection [2, 3]. Symptoms often parallel the progression of AIDS, with the most severe observed in those with CD4 cell counts,50=mm3 [4]. The elderly and immunologically naı̈ve, including malnourished children, also may suffer severe disease directly related to infection with C. parvum. However