Sir.—In June 1985, we investigated an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis at a daycare center (DCC) in Florida.
Subjects and Methods.—Through DCC-wide stool screening, 33% (28/84) of the children and 22% (4/18) of the staff members submitting stool specimens were found to have cryptosporidiosis. Toddlers (12 to 35 months of age) and their teachers were at highest risk. During the outbreak, 15 children at the DCC were also reported by their parents to have had chickenpox, reflecting a more widespread outbreak of chickenpox in the community. As with cryptosporidiosis, the majority of cases of chickenpox occurred in children between the ages of 12 and 35 months. Children with a recent history of chickenpox more frequently had stools containing Cryptosporidium (8/12 [67%]) than those without such a history (19/66 [29%]) (p =.02).
Because children at highest risk for cryptosporidiosis (12 to 35 months old) would also be expected to be more