Studies on the Prevalence of Cryptosporidium in Cases of Diarrhoea
Beula Padmavathy, J. and Sundararaj, T.
Adv Bio Tech, vol.11, no.7, 29-31, January 2012
ABSTRACT
Cryptosporidiosis is an emerging zoonotic disease of the alimentary tract of humans and other vertebrates, caused by parasitic protists of the genus Cryptosporidium. It was considered a veterinary pathogen but not human pathogen until 1980s. Infection with Cryptosporidium species is usually self-limited in immunocompetent populations, but can be severe and life-threatening diarrhoea among immunocompromised individuals. Transmission is by faeco-oral route, waterborne due to infected human faecal contamination of drinking water, (MacKenzie WR, Schell WL., Blair KA, Addiss DG, Peterson DE, et al. 1995. Massive outbreak of waterborne Cryptosporidium infection in MiLwakee, Wisconsin: recurrence of illness and risk of secondary transmission. Clin. Infet. Dis. 21:57-62) contact with infected farm animals (Navin TR., 1985. Cryptosporidiosis in humans: review of recent epidemiologic studies. Eur. J. Epidemiol.1: 77-83) and by drinking unpasteurised milk. In the present study an attempt has been made to find out the prevalence of the Cryptosporidium species in cases of diarrhea. All stool specimens were examined for Cryptosporidium parvum by Kinyoun carbol-fuchsin modified acid-fast stain (AFS)
