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Introduction to Cryptosporidium: The Parasite and the Disease

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Cryptosporidium as a Foodborne Pathogen

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition ((BRIEFSFOOD))

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Abstract

Cryptosporidium is an Apicomplexan parasite, of which around 25 species and several genotypes are recognised, several of which are infectious to humans. The majority of human infections are due to the species Cryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum. The latter parasite is also a common pathogen of a range of animals, particularly young calves and small ruminants. Cryptosporidium is globally distributed and is considered to be one of the four pathogens most associated serious childhood diarrhoea in developing countries; effective chemotherapy in the most vulnerable patient groups is lacking.

The life cycle of Cryptosporidium is relatively complicated, consisting of both asexual and sexual cycles, the latter of which results in the production of oocysts, the environmentally robust transmission stages that are excreted in the faeces of infected hosts. This chapter provides an overview of the parasite, the various species, establishment of infection and details of the life cycle and also describes the disease, cryptosporidiosis, that is associated with infection, with focus on symptoms and diagnosis.

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  1. Institute for Food Safety & Infection Biology Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway

    Lucy J. Robertson

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Robertson, L.J. (2014). Introduction to Cryptosporidium: The Parasite and the Disease. In: Cryptosporidium as a Foodborne Pathogen. SpringerBriefs in Food, Health, and Nutrition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9378-5_1

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