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Cryptosporidiosis
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that affects the distal small intestine and causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis. It is acquired by drinking contaminated water, swimming or wading in contaminated recreational water sources (i.e., pools, waterparks, lakes), eating contaminated food, or contact with infected animals. Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of waterborne disease among humans in the U.S.
Epidemiology, Disease Transmission, Prevention, and Control
Published in Julius P. Kreier, Infection, Resistance, and Immunity, 2022
Cryptosporidiosis is often spread by contact with surface water run-off contaminated by feces of infected cattle. It has caused thousands of infections in the U.S. by contamination of the drinking water supply. Giardia lamblia is a diarrhea producing protozoan acquired usually from drinking contaminated water (Figure 21.5). It can cause mild to severe diarrhea. Heavy rain and increased run-off of contaminated water has been related to increased transmission.
Cryptosporidium spp
Published in Peter D. Walzer, Robert M. Genta, Parasitic Infections in the Compromised Host, 2020
It is well established that cryptosporidiosis is transmitted by environmentally resistant oocysts via the fecal-oral route common to other enteric pathogens (1-3). In addition to direct transmission from human to human or from animal to human (see Table 3 for possible reservoir hosts), infection is also acquired through ingestion of contaminated food or water containing viable oocysts (1-3). Measures to prevent infection include good personal hygiene, proper disposal of fecal material, proper treatment of drinking water, and avoidance of contact with infected hosts. These measures have been effective against other feces-borne enteropathogens and should be successful in eliminating transmission of Cryptosporidium infections.
Cryptosporidiosis in Finland is predominantly of domestic origin: investigation of increased reporting, 1995–2020
Published in Infectious Diseases, 2023
Kristiina A. Suominen, Marit Björkstrand, Jukka Ollgren, Tiina J. Autio, Ruska Rimhanen-Finne
In addition to causing foodborne outbreaks, Cryptosporidium parasites have many characteristics that impact waterborne transmission. Compared to other parasites, the oocysts are small and are less efficiently removed by sand filtration [30]. The oocysts are also robust, surviving for months in surface waters and having resistance to many chemical disinfectants, including chlorine. They are excreted in high numbers during acute infection, require no maturation before becoming infective, and the required infective dose is small. Many waterborne outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been reported, including some very large outbreaks caused by contaminated drinking water [19,30]. Exposure to recreational water has also been associated with cryptosporidiosis outbreaks [19]. While most of the large waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreaks reported have been caused by C. hominis, C. parvum can also be transmitted through contaminated water [19]. It is important to hinder entry of Cryptosporidium oocysts from farms and sewage into raw water sources in order to prevent waterborne outbreaks.
Phenotypic screening techniques for Cryptosporidium drug discovery
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2021
Melissa S. Love, Case W. McNamara
Diarrheal disease continues to be a global health burden and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of five, especially in resource-limited settings. Diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria account for nearly a third of global deaths under the age of five [1]. Cryptosporidium spp. are a major cause of diarrheal disease in children ages 0–24 months, and are associated with an increased risk of death [2,3]. Young children who are immunocompromised, e.g., HIV-positive or malnourished, are highly susceptible to cryptosporidiosis. Additionally, immunocompromised adults (e.g., HIV-positive [4], organ transplant [5], or cancer patients [6]) are at risk of infection, though the disease is self-limiting in adults with healthy immune systems. Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum are the two main species that cause disease in humans, though there are roughly 40 recognized species with a wide range of hosts [7]. C. parvum is also an important cause of diarrheal and enteric disease in neonatal calves, which can have significant long-lasting impacts on the health of the animals and economic repercussions for farmers [8].
Novel drug targets for treatment of cryptosporidiosis
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, 2020
Beilin Wang, Alejandro Castellanos-Gonzalez, A. Clinton White Jr
Development of more effective treatments for cryptosporidiosis is a clearly an important public health priority and should not be abandoned. So far, the rush to quick fixes, such as repurposing approved medications that are active in vitro, has failed to lead to meaningful clinical advances. The development of effective and safe treatments for cryptosporidiosis will require ongoing investment and likely will require a diverse pipeline. It is safe to anticipate that most compounds entering clinical trials will fail. Rather than abandoning the path when it becomes more difficult, we need to follow John F. Kennedy’s advice. We need to keep trying to develop a drug for cryptosporidiosis. We try these efforts ‘not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.’