AIM To determine whether batch solar disinfection (SODIS) can be used to inactivate oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum and cysts of Giardia muris in experimentally contaminated water. METHODS AND RESULTS Suspensions of oocysts and cysts were exposed to simulated global solar irradiation of 830 W m(-2) for different exposure times at a constant temperature of 40 degrees C. Infectivity tests wer...

Extraction of high-quality mRNA from Cryptosporidium parvum is a key step in PCR detection of viable oocysts in environmental samples. Current methods for monitoring oocysts are limited to water samples; therefore, the goal of this study was to develop a rapid and sensitive procedure for Cryptosporidium detection in soil samples. The efficiencies of five RNA extraction methods were compared (mR...

Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia are protozoa capable of causing gastrointestinal diseases. Currently, these organisms are identified using immunofluorescent antibody (IFA)-based microscopy, and identification requires trained individuals for final confirmation. Since artificial neural networks (ANN) can provide an automated means of identification, thereby reducing human errors relat...

In order to determine the distribution and prevalence of human cryptosporidiosis on western and southern coastal islands of Jeollanam-do (Province), fecal samples were collected from 2,541 people residing on 25 islands, 13 in the western coasts and 12 in the southern coasts, during July and August 2000. Fecal smears were prepared following formalin-ether sedimentation of the samples and stained...

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are 2 protozoan parasites responsible for waterborne diseases outbreaks worldwide. In order to assess the prevalence of these protozoans in drinking water samples in the northern part of Portugal and the risk of human infection, we have established a long term program aiming at pinpointing the sources of surface water, drinking water, and environmental contamination,...

Water is a vehicle for disseminating human and veterinary toxoplasmosis due to oocyst contamination. Several outbreaks of toxoplasmosis throughout the world have been related to contaminated drinking water. We have developed a method for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in water and we propose a strategy for the detection of multiple waterborne parasites, including Cryptosporidium spp...

We recently described a reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) for detecting low numbers of viable Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts spiked into clarified environmental water concentrates. We have now modified the assay for direct analysis of primary sample concentrates with simultaneous detection of viable C. parvum oocysts, Giardia cysts, and a novel type of internal positive control (IPC). The IPC ...

A total of 60 samples were collected from 35 swimming pools in Beijing, China, and the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were investigated. The results showed that 16.7% and 15.0% of samples were positive for Cryptosporidium oocyst and Giardia cysts, respectively, with a mean concentration of 0.30 oocysts/10 L and 0.27 cysts/10 L. The oocysts and cysts were found to have higher rates of o...

The present study describes the complete in vitro development of Cryptosporidium parvum (cattle genotype) in RPMI-1640 maintenance medium devoid of host cells. This represents the first report in which Cryptosporidium is shown to multiply, develop and complete its life cycle without the need for host cells. Furthermore, cultivation of Cryptosporidium in diphasic medium consisting of a coagulate...

PCR detection of intestinal protozoa is often restrained by a poor DNA recovery or by inhibitors present in feces. The need for an extraction protocol that can overcome these obstacles is therefore clear. QIAamp® DNA Stool Mini Kit (Qiagen) was evaluated for its ability to recover DNA from oocysts/cysts directly from feces. Twenty-five Giardia-positive, 15 Cryptosporidium-positive, 15 Entamoeba...