detection and molecular characterization of cryptosporidium species in recreational waters of chaharmahal va bakhtiyari province of iran using nested-pcr-rflp

background: the aim of this study was to detect and characterize cryptosporidium spp. in water sam­ples collected from recreational ponds of chaharmahal va bakhtiyari province of iran . meth­ods: thirty water samples were collected  from november 2009 to may 2010. each sample con­tained 10 liters of water. we used the ssu rrna-based pcr-rflp technique. results: out of thirty samples examined, 6 (20%) were positive for different cryptosporidium spp. restriction pattern analysis showed that c. parvum has been the most prevalent genotype, fol­lowed by c. hominis   and c. canis , respectively . in this area, the higher prevalence of c. par­vum compared with other genotypes is consistent with the distribution of cattle. conclusion: farm animals, particularly cattle arethe main source of cryptosporidial contamina­tion for recreational waters in this area.