Cryptosporidium infection among sheep in Qalubia Governorate, Egypt

The present study was carried to explore the incidence of Cryptosporidium infection among lambs in Qalubia governorate as well as to study the ability of three staining techniques developed for rapid identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts in faecal samples of 120 neonatal lambs less than one month old. The stains used in this investigation were modified Zeihl-Neelsen stain (MZN), Safranin-methylene blue (SMB) and Giemsa stain (GS) to detect the recovered oocysts with their incidence variation. The diagnostic value was raised by direct smear and concentration floatation technique. The infection rates with Cryptosporidium oocysts among the investigated faecal samples from neonatal sheep were 82, 58, 36, out of 120 (68.3, 48.3 and 30%) by modified Zeihl-Neelsen stain, Safranin-methylene blue and Giemsa stain respectively. The lambs less than one week had higher infection rate. The relationship between age susceptibility and infection was discussed. The use of modified Zeihl-Neelsen stain was currently recommended procedure with the concentration floatation technique for the accurate diagnosis and rapid identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts.