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A Modified EPA Method 1623 that Uses Tangential Flow Hollow-fiber Ultrafiltration and Heat Dissociation Steps to Detect Waterborne Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp.
12:11

A Modified EPA Method 1623 that Uses Tangential Flow Hollow-fiber Ultrafiltration and Heat Dissociation Steps to Detect Waterborne Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp.

Published on: July 9, 2012

Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis

R Soave, D Armstrong

    Reviews of Infectious Diseases
    |November 1, 1986
    PubMed

    Insights

    Cryptosporidium is a newly identified pathogen causing severe diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals and self-limited illness in others. Diagnosis is via stool acid-fast staining, but effective treatments remain elusive.

    Area of Science:

    • Medical Microbiology
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Parasitology

    Background:

    • Cryptosporidium is an emerging human pathogen.
    • It causes severe enteritis and cholecystitis in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
    • It also causes self-limited diarrheal illness in immunocompetent hosts.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To review the current understanding of Cryptosporidium as a human pathogen.
    • To highlight diagnostic methods and the lack of effective therapies.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of existing literature on Cryptosporidium.
    • Focus on clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of cryptosporidiosis.

    Main Results:

    • Cryptosporidiosis is increasingly recognized worldwide, particularly in young children.
    • Acid-fast staining of stool is an effective diagnostic tool.
    • No consistently effective therapy for cryptosporidial infection is currently available.

    Conclusions:

    • Cryptosporidium is a significant cause of human diarrhea globally.
    • Further research is needed to understand pathogenic mechanisms and host defense.
    • Development of effective treatments for cryptosporidiosis is a critical unmet need.

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