Prevalence Of Cryptosporidium Sp. And Treatment By Using Some Plants Extracts In Al-Hilla CityBabylon Province

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigat the prevalence of Cryptosporidium sp. in children who were attended to laboratories maternity and pediatrics general hospital in Al-Hilla city of Babylon province for the period from Septmber 2010 to May 2011. The age groups of children was ranged from less than 6 months to 5 years old and to show the effect of six plants extracts on the parasite that injected in Balbc mice. The study was carried out on 605 fecal samples of children, 318 males and 287 females. Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts was done by modified Ziehl-Neelsen methods.The results show the rate of Cryptosporidium infection was (9.42 %), it did not vary between males and females. The highest rate of infection was among age group less than 6 months to less than one year old. The distribution of infection was highest in September (23.75 %) followed by March (13.75 %) and November (10.3 %) and the lowest was in January (4.54 %). The effect of six plant extracts on the shedding of oocysts in experimental mice, decrease the shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts in mice by using 250 mg / kg body weight, route it was shown that the efficacy of Peganum harmala (65.9 %) followed by Artemesia herba alba (56.5 %), Ricinus communis (34.3 %).and lowest was Thymus vulgaris (19.1 %). It was also shown that the efficacy of plants extracts (500 mg / kg body weight) was higher than (250 mg / kg B.W.) in shedding of the parasite oocysts.