Endoscopic appearance of cryptosporidial duodenitis.

Cryptosporidial oocyst infection is a common cause of diarrhea in patients with AIDS. Concomitant symptoms can include crampy abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is then useful for delineating potentially treatable pathogens. We report a case of cryptosporidial duodenitis with characteristic endoscopic findings, biopsy correlate, and a review of the current literature. The endoscopic appearance illustrated strongly suggests proximal small bowel mucosal involvement with cryptosporidial oocysts.