Gallbladder Cryptosporidiosis in a Patient With Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Sonographic Evaluation of the Disease’s Course

ryptosporidium, an intracellular parasite infecting the gastrointestinal epithelium and other mucosal surfaces, causes self-limited diarrhea in immunocompetent persons and potentially life-threatening syndromes in immunocompromised individuals, primarily those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Cryptosporidium is also the single most common identifiable pathogen in the biliary tract in patients with AIDS cholangiopathy (AIDS-C), an important biliary disorder caused by opportunistic infection of the biliary epithelium and resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality in patients with AIDS.1 Gallbladder (GB) involvement includes dilatation, wall thickening, and sludge,2 which are not specific signs of AIDS-C. We report a case of GB cryptosporidiosis investigated with sonography, from the onset to healing, depicting the disease’s progressive changes.