What is Cryptosporidium parvum and where is it found?
Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most common enteropathogens to affect humans in the world. The protozoan parasite causes a gut infection referred to as cryptosporidiosis.
The transmission of C.parvum may be direct, via the fecal-oral route, or indirect with the disease being water-borne or food-borne.
The parasite may be passed from animals to humans or vice versa, which is referred to as zoonotic spread or it may be transmitted between humans which is termed anthroponotic spread.
The prevalence of C. parvum is on the rise in industrialized countries and has been shown to be present in almost 90% of raw water sampled across the United States and Canada.
Read more in the News Medical.
January 9, 2014