Epidemiological Characteristics of the First Water-Borne Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis in Seoul, Korea

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 28; no. 7; pp. 983 - 989
• Main Authors: Moon, Shinje, Kwak, Wooseok, Lee, Sangwon, Kim, Won, Oh, Jaeyeon, Youn, Seung-Ki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 01.07.2013; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; Cryptosporidiosis - epidemiology; Cryptosporidiosis - parasitology; Cryptosporidium parvum - isolation & purification; Diarrhea - parasitology; Disease Outbreaks; Drinking Water - parasitology; Female; Food Contamination; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Public Health; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Sewage - parasitology; Young Adult; 의학일반; Republic of Korea; Cryptosporidiosis; Fecal Contamination; Epidemiological Investigation; Cryptosporidium parvum; Food and Waterborne Disease Outbreak
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.7.983

The first case of human cryptosporidiosis was reported in Korea in 1995; however, an outbreak of Cryptosporidium has not been reported in Korea until now. This paper describes the first outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Korea. On May 24, 2012, a local public health center filed a report on 126 residents with gastrointestinal symptoms in an old apartment complex in Seoul. Epidemiological investigations were implemented on 125 of the 126 patients. The patients were reported continuously over a period of 22 days. Diarrhea was the most common clinical symptom, and lasted for 5 days on average. The tap water was the only common exposure of the patients. During the environmental investigation it was discovered that the water and septic tanks were situated closely and that the waste water pipes were corroded where they passed over the water pipes. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in 3 of the 7 stool specimens by PCR-RFLP. A number of Cryptosporidium oocysts were also detected in the water specimens from the water tank. In conclusion, Cryptosporidium parvum was the key causal pathogen of this outbreak. It is presumed that the tap water was contaminated by a sewage leak from the aged pipelines.