A parasitic infection that leads to severe and long-lasting diarrhea has been unprecedentedly surging across the United Kingdom since mid-August.
Cryptosporidiosis Infection
The exact condition is known as cryptosporidiosis, which is due to the Cryptosporidium parasite. While there are several Cryptosporidium species, most of them rarely affect humans.
There are only two species that may lead to human infections, namely, C. hominis and C. parvum. The former is almost exclusive in causing human infections, while the latter may affect various mammals, usually cattle. However, this is a C. parvum subgroup that has evolved to become a form that generally infects humans.
Crypto's main symptom is watery diarrhea that can occur alongside dehydration, stomach cramps, vomiting, weight loss, or fever. Infections typically last for ten tens, which is significantly longer compared to other infections, like that of Salmonella.
The condition typically affects children, especially those in their preschool age. Because of their lack of immunity, children are most at risk.
The ingestion of fecal matter inadvertently causes the infection. The parasite can spread via food, water, or direct contact with an animal or person that is infected. Several crypto outbreaks have been caused by drinking contaminated water or taking contaminated foods or unpasteurized milk. Attacks have also been linked to visits to swimming pools, farm visits, and daycare centers for children.
Most people who get infected recover without requiring any treatment. However, there are times when crypto could result in severe disease that causes dehydration and weight loss. C. hominis infections, in particular, could result in long-lasting diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Those with severely compromised immunity, including those with blood cancer or HIV/Aids, have a higher risk of severe or fatal infections.
Behind UK's Crypto Outbreak
At the end of September alone, there were nearly 500 reported cryptosporidiosis cases in a week. This is five times greater than the expected count of the year. This is the tip of the iceberg, considering how only one-eight of total infections ever get reported. Though cases have begun falling, they still exceed the expected count.
The exact reason behind the crypto surge in the UK remains unclear. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, infections were expected to surge during late summer and early autumn. However, this year, the surge was huge. Infections have risen across most portions of the UK, showing that it might not be due to an outbreak that is localized.
One possible reason for the surge is heightened exposure. Roughly two-thirds of recent C. hominis cases have been associated with travel overseas, particularly to Spain. Approximately 80% of the cases had reported swimming in the two weeks before they got sick.
In Spain, Zaragoza and Tarazona have reported massive waterborne crypto outbreaks in late summer. However, an outbreak in a Spanish region far from the Mediterranean beaches that are frequented shows that this could not be the case. This also does not account for other crypto cases.
Another possible explanation is that crypto immunity may have gone down with the control measures for COVID. This means that the parasite could infect more people than usual.
However, if this were the only case, a number rise should also be observed in other areas. Notably, crypto infections are inconsistently reported in Europe, which makes it difficult to make comparisons.
The outbreak may have resulted from a mix of the two explanations.
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