Preventing cryptosporidiosis

A guide for persons with compromised immune systems

August 2005     View PDF
Reprinted from www.cdc.gov, US

How does crypto affect you if
your immune system is severely weakened?

In persons with AIDS and in others whose immune system is weakened, Crypto can be serious, long-lasting, and sometimes fatal. If your CD4+ cell count is below 200, Crypto is more likely to cause diarrhea and other symptoms for a long time. If your CD4+ count is above 200, your illness may not last more than 1 to 3 weeks or slightly longer. However, you could still carry the infection, which means that the Crypto parasites are living in your intestine, but are not causing illness. As a carrier of Crypto, you could infect other people. If your CD4+ count later drops below 200, your symptoms may reappear.