The intestinal protozoa Isospora belli can cause a transient illness in the patient with a normal host defenses.
Distribution: The organism is common in the tropics, especially in developing countries.
The organism is acquired by ingesting infective oocysts, usually through untreated water.
Clinical features:
(1) fever
(2) diarrhea which is usually self-limited
(3) abdominal pain
Laboratory diagnosis:
(1) identification of unsporulated oocysts in stool (false negative examinations common)
(2) identification of the organism within enterocytes of the duodenum and jejunum
(3) PCR for DNA (both sensitive and specific)
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases
ICD-10: ,
