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. 2017 Jan-Jun;7(1):8-17.
doi: 10.4103/2229-5070.202290.

Revisiting the global problem of cryptosporidiosis and recommendations

Arpit Kumar Shrivastava  1 , Subrat Kumar  1 , Woutrina A Smith  2 , Priyadarshi Soumyaranjan Sahu  1   3
Affiliations

Revisiting the global problem of cryptosporidiosis and recommendations

Arpit Kumar Shrivastava et al. Trop Parasitol. 2017 Jan-Jun.

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is a gastrointestinal illness caused by the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium species, which is a leading cause of diarrhea in a variety of vertebrate hosts. The primary mode of transmission is through oral routes; infections spread with the ingestion of oocysts by susceptible animals or humans. In humans, Cryptosporidium infections are commonly found in children and immunocompromised individuals. The small intestine is the most common primary site of infection in humans while extraintestinal cryptosporidiosis occurs in immunocompromised individuals affecting the biliary tract, lungs, or pancreas. Both innate and adaptive immune responses play a critical role in parasite clearance as evident from studies with experimental infection in mice. However, the cellular immune responses induced during human infections are poorly understood. In this article, we review the currently available information with regard to epidemiology, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, and strategies being used to control cryptosporidiosis infection. Since cryptosporidiosis may spread through zoonotic mode, we emphasis on more epidemiological surveillance-based studies in developing countries with poor sanitation and hygiene. These epidemiological surveys must incorporate fecal source tracking measures to identify animal and human populations contributing significantly to the fecal burden in the community, as mitigation measures differ by host type.

Keywords: Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; diarrhea; microbial source tracking; zoonotic diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Major worldwide occurrence of human cryptosporidiosis outbreaks and sporadic cases: A color coded. distribution of major cases of cryptosporidiosis reported in different countries of the world between 1984-2013. Water-borne outbreaks represented with star symbol, round dot represents Food-borne outbreaks in the map, yellow color in the map represents the presence of cryptosporidiosis and white color represents no such reports are present
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transmission cycle of Cryptosporidium: Cryptosporidium transmission via zoonotic and anthroponotic routes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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