Cryptosporidium parvum

Ozone is more effective than chlorine in deactivating poliovirus, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and other protozoa. It also improves the color, taste, and odor of water dramatically. However, since no residual amount remains, it is always necessary to add a small amount of a more stable disinfectant as well (sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, etc.). 

Bacteria are likely precipitants in many other cases including Escherichia coli, Salmonella species, Shigella species, Vibrio cholerae, and Clostridium difficile. The term dysentery has often been used to describe some of these bacterial infections when associated with serious occurrences of bloody diarrhea. Additionally, acute diarrheal conditions can be prompted by parasites-protozoa such as Entamoeba histolytica, Microsporidium, Giardia lamblia, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Most of these infectious agents can be causes of traveler s diarrhea, a common malady alflicting travelers worldwide. It usually occurs during or just after travel subsequent to the ingestion of fecally-contaminated food or water. It has an abrupt onset but usually subsides within 2 to 3 days. 

Fresh stool may show trophozoites while preserved specimens yield cysts. (Note stool for ova may show the presence of other parasites [e.g., Cryptosporidium parvum, E. histolytica, or E. hartmanni] multiple stool samples may be needed.)... 

An example of the microorganism differentiation power achievable with the protein profiling approach is illustrated using the MALDI mass spectra of Escherichia coli and Cryptosporidium parvum (Figure 14.3). Clear... 

Figure 14.3 MALDI mass spectra of E. coli (top) and Cryptosporidium parvum (bottom).

Pure Ti02 was recently reported to be active in the disinfection of water contaminated by spores of the type Fusarium solani [142], Bacillus anthracis [143], or Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts [144], or when supported as nanocomposites on zeolite H(i for E. coli deactivation [145], and it found applications in water treatment as a replacement for chlorine. Ag-Ti02 immobilized systems were used for inactivation of bacteria, coupling the visible light response of the system and the strong bactericidal effect of Ag [146]. Silver was deposited on hydroxyapatite to form nanocomposites with a high capacity for bacterial adsorption and inactivation [147], or used for airborne bacterial remediation in indoor air [148],... 

Ryu, H., Gerrity, D., Crittenden, J.C. andAbbaszadegan, M. (2008) Photocatalytic inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum with Ti02 and low-pressure ultraviolet irradiation. 

Kuczynska E., Boyer D.G., Shelton D.R., Comparison of immunofluorescence assay and immunomagnetic electrochemiluminescence in detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in karst water samples, J. Microbiol. Meth. 2003 53 17-26. 

Z.P. Aguilar and I. Fritsch, Immobilized enzyme-linked DNA-hybridization assay with electrochemical detection for Cryptosporidium parvum hsp70 mRNA. Anal. Chem. 75, 3890-3897 (2003). 

The Cryptosporidium parasite attaches to the host s intestinal epithelium, becomes intracellular but remains extracytoplasmic. In vitro studies suggest that attachment is mediated by a Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoite ligand and an intestinal epithelial cell surface protein interaction [83, 84],... 

Checkley W, Epstein LD, Gilman RH, Black RE, Cabrera L, Sterling CR Effects of Cryptosporidium parvum infection in Peruvian children Growth faltering and subsequent catchup growth. Am J Epidemiol 1998,148 497-506. 

Langer RC, Riggs MW Cryptosporidium parvum apical complex glycoprotein CSL contains a sporozoite ligand for intestinal epithelial cells. Infect Immun 1999 67 5282-5291. 

Langer RC, Schaefer DA, Riggs MW Characterization of an intestinal epithelial cell receptor recognized by the Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoite ligand CSL. Infect Immun 2001 69 1661-1670. 

Laurent F, Eckmann L, Savidge TC, Morgan G, Theodos C, Naciri M, KagnoffMF Cryptosporidium parvum infection of human intestinal epithelial cells induces the polarized secretion of C-X-C chemokines. Infect Immun 1997 65 5067-5073. 

Seydel KB, Zhang T, Champion GA, Fichten-baum C, Swanson PE, Tzipori S, Griffiths JK, Stanley SL Jr Cryptosporidium parvum infection of human intestinal xenograils in SCID mice induces production of human tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-8. Infect Immun 1998 66 2379-2382. 

Robinson P, Okhuysen PC, Chappell CL, Lewis DE, Shahab I, Janecki A, White AC Jr Expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 1 beta in jejuna of volunteers after experimental challenge with Cryptosporidium parvum correlates with exposure but not with symptoms. Infect Immun 2001 69 1172-1174. 

Amenta M, Dalle Nogare ER, Colomba C, Prestileo TS, Di Lorenzo F, Fundaro S, Colomba A, Ferrieri A Intestinal protozoa in HIV-infected patients Effect of rifaximin in Cryptosporidium parvum and Blastocystis hominis infections. J Chemother 1999 11 391-395. 

Interestingly, in a small study on patients with AIDS, rifaximin was found to be effective against infectious diarrhea with stool cultures positive for protozoal pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Blastocystis hominis [34], The favorable effects of rifaximin on protozoal diarrhea have been also reported in a recent multicenter study on patients with travelers diarrhea [33], In fact, patients with pretreatment stools positive for Cryptosporidium infections obtained a clinical improvement with rifaximin significantly superior to the placebo-treated subjects. 

Finally, one report of diarrhea in HIV-positive patients indicated that rifaximin might well prove useful in the treatment of protozoal causes of infectious diarrhea [4], Thirteen patients had infections with Cryptosporidium parvum. 

Entamoeba histolytica — Euglena gracilis Cryptosporidium parvum... 

Cryptosporidium parvum 2-4 days Severe watery diarrhea Dose >10 cells Domestic animals, manure, sewage, infected food handlers and water... 

Robertson, L. J., Campbell, A. T., and Smith, H. V. (1992). Survival of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts under various environmental pressures. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 58, 3494-3500. 

The most dangerous agents are the biological agents and the toxins. Protozoa, for example Cryptosporidium parvum, have contaminated a water supply system with serious consequences. In 1993, the supply of Milwaukee was contaminated, 100 people died, and over 400,000 became ill. Although this protozoan causes serious health effects in the very young, the very old, and the... 

In some instances the raw water reaching water treatment plants may contain pathogens such as the human infectious protozoon Cryptosporidium parvum. The environmental form of C parvum is a spheroidal oocyst of 4-6 microns diameter. The oocyst is resistant to conventional chemical disinfectants that are commonly used in water treatment such as chlorine or chloramines. It is therefore essential that Cryptosporidium be removed during the coagulation and filtration processes stage in the water... 

Abe Y et al. (2000) Structural basis of presequence recognition by the mitochondrial protein import receptor Tom20. Cell 100 551-560 Abrahamsen MS et al. (2004) Complete genome sequence of the apicomplexan, Cryptosporidium parvum. Science 304 441-445... 

Henriquez FL, Richards , Roberts F, McLeod R, Roberts CW (2005) The unusual mitochondrial compartment of Cryptosporidium parvum. Trends Parasitol 21 68-74 Herrmann JM (2003) Converting bacteria to organelles evolution of mitochondrial protein sorting. Trends Microbiol 11 74-79... 

LaGier MJ, Tachezy J, Stejskal F, Kutisova K, Keithly JS (2003) Mitochondrial-type iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis genes (IscS and IscU) in the apicomplexan Cryptosporidium parvum. Microbiology 149 3519-3530... 

Putignani L et al. (2004) Characterization of a mitochondrion-like organelle in Cryptosporidium parvum. Parasitology 129 1-18... 

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