Nursing

Engineering

Ecology

Biology

Public health

Waterborne diseases

Virology

Outbreak

Environmental health

Parasitic disease

Cryptosporidium parvum

Veterinary medicine

Microbiology

Feces

Livestock

Medicine

Transmission (telecommunications)

Cryptosporidium

Disease

Electrical engineering

Pathology

Research in Veterinary Science

Cryptosporidiosis, caused by parasite species of the genus Cryptosporidium, is a major diarrhoeal disease in both people and animals globally, with C. hominis and C. parvum the main species infecting humans. Environmentally robust oocysts which are shed in high numbers in the faeces of infected individuals are resistant to disinfectants, including levels of chlorine normally used in drinking water. As a result, Cryptosporidium is a major cause of waterborne and foodborne outbreaks. Interestingly, C. hominis is responsible for the majority of waterborne outbreaks typed to date with C. parvum responsible for the majority of foodborne outbreaks. No vaccine and few treatments are currently available, which has greatly limited control of this disease to date. Livestock are both an important reservoir and source of human infections and improved husbandry and management practices as well as a One Health integrated molecular typing approach across both veterinary and public health systems are essential to improve our ability to control this disease.

Cryptosporidium – An update with an emphasis on foodborne and waterborne transmission