Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Hemato-Oncology Unit, Soroka
University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of
the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel | Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases Unit,
Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Note: [] Correspondence: Prof. David Greenberg, M.D., The Pediatric
Infectious Disease Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Tel.: +972 8 6400547; Fax: +972 8 6232334; E-mail: dudi@bgu.ac.il
Abstract: In immunocompromised patients, Cryptosporidium disease can
present as a severe, prolonged and potentially life-threatening diarrhea. We
present three case reports of children with cancer and a cryptosporidiosis
infection who were treated successfully with nitazoxanide either alone or in
combination with azithromycin. These case reports show that the clinician
should be alert in diagnosing Cryptosporidium infection in oncology
children with severe or prolonged diarrhea, a possible life threatening
condition, and the combined treatment of nitazoxanide and azithromycin can be a
possible strategy to resolve the infection and eradicate Cryptosporidium.
Additional studies should be performed to confirm this observation.
