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Dose response of Cryptosporidium parvum in outbred neonatal CD-1 mice

G R Finch1, C W Daniels, E K Black

  • 1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|November 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Determining the infectious dose of Cryptosporidium parvum in mice is crucial for water disinfection studies. The 50% infective dose (ID50) was found to be 79 oocysts, providing key data for risk assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant waterborne pathogen causing gastrointestinal illness.
  • Understanding the minimum infectious dose is vital for effective water treatment strategies.
  • Neonatal mouse models offer a reproducible system for studying parasite infectivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the 50% infective dose (ID50) of Cryptosporidium parvum in a neonatal CD-1 mouse model.
  • To establish a dose-response relationship for C. parvum infection.
  • To inform the development of water disinfection guidelines.

Main Methods:

  • Infection studies were conducted using neonatal CD-1 mice.
  • Varying oral inoculums of C. parvum oocysts were administered.
  • Infection rates were assessed at 7 days postinoculation.
  • A logit dose-response model was employed to analyze the data.

Main Results:

  • The estimated 50% infective dose (ID50) of C. parvum was 79 oocysts.
  • A mean oral dose of 23 oocysts infected 2 out of 25 mice.
  • Complete infection occurred when the mean oral dose surpassed 310 oocysts per animal.

Conclusions:

  • The ID50 in the neonatal mouse model provides a quantitative measure of C. parvum infectivity.
  • The dose-response data are applicable to water disinfection studies and risk assessment.
  • This research contributes to establishing safe water quality standards.

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