Methods for Detection, Identification, and Control of Cryptosporidium

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite causing cryptosporidiosis. It delves into various detection methods, categorizing them into clinical and water/environmental approaches. The clinical methods, including direct fluorescent antibody tests and molecular techniques, are discussed in terms of their individualization, effectiveness, and contribution to research, along with their drawbacks such as being lengthy and costly. The water and environmental methods, which involve testing and treatment of water sources, are analyzed for their protective measures, cost-effectiveness, and large-scale coverage, while also acknowledging their limitations in eliminating all contaminants and the need for regular maintenance. The report underscores the importance of considering the advantages and disadvantages of each method in making informed diagnosis and treatment decisions. The report also includes references to other related topics such as Epidemiology, Subtyping, Pathogenicity, Antimicrobial resistance and Control of Cryptosporidium, which provides a broader perspective on the parasite.

Detection of
Cryptosporidi
um
Shwetha

Introduction
Cryptosporidium refers to a microscopic parasite which causes
cryptosporidiosis, which is a diarrheal illness (Madison-Antenucci, et al, 2016).
Both the illness and the parasite are usually called “Crypto.”
There are different ways through which one can get Cryptosporidium:
Eating uncooked food contaminated with Crypto
exposure to feces of an infected through sexual intercourse
Swallowing something which has had a contact with stool of an infected person
It is worth noting that this parasite is not transferred through blood contacts.
.

Continuation
 Common symptoms of Cryptosporidium include: fever, vomiting, watery diarrhea,
nausea, stomach pains, and dehydration
 Cryptosporidium is a species
of apicomplexan parasitic
alveolates and can lead to
severe health problems such
as
gastrointestinal (cryptosporidi
osis), gastrointestinal disease,
and respiratory
cryptosporidiosis
 Cryptosporidium parasite is resilient to chlorine disinfection and thus it is very hard to
eliminate than most disease-causing germs.

Identification methods
for Cryptosporidium
1. Clinical methods: Most of the clinical approaches are based on the approach of
examination of stool samples. Patients are asked to submit numerous stool
specimens and then they are examined using different techniques such as:
 direct fluorescent antibody [DFA]
 acid-fast staining
 enzyme immunoassays (Aghamolaie, et al, 2016).
• Molecular methods (like polymerase chain reaction) are more and more
applied in reference identification laboratories, because they can be used to
detect Cryptosporidium at the species stage.
• Test for Cryptosporidium is not regularly conducted in most labs; thus, clinicians
ought to precisely request testing for this particular parasite.

Advantages of Clinical
Method
 Highly individualized: Clinical methods are very individualized and they attend to
a single patient at a time. After testing, the patient receives proper counseling
and gets to know more about the Cryptosporidium parasite and its possible
effects.
 Very effective: Clinical methods of diagnosing Cryptosporidium are more
effective since they are conducted using modernized equipment and
procedures. This implies that if the person is tested positive, he/she gets access
to quality care.
 Contributes to medical research: Thus, it helps the health practitioners to do
more research concerning the parasite and prospective approaches through
which it can be controlled.

Continuation
Cause and effect relationship: Through the clinical methods, the patient gets to
gains understanding on the possible causes of Cryptosporidium parasite and how
he/she can avoid them. He also gets a chance to comprehend on the major health
problems the parasite can cause and how he can manage them.
Prompt medication: If a person is tested positive, he/she starts receiving
medication instantly without delay. Earlier diagnosis of any disease-causing
microorganism enables the victim to receive prompt treatment.

Disadvantages of
clinical methods
 Lengthy and cumbersome method: Clinical methods involve lengthy
procedures that might be tiresome and time-consuming.
 Costly method: Clinical methods are generally costly since they require the
patient to pay lots of money before they are completed.
 Lack of trained persons: Sometimes the person carrying out the diagnosis
process might be lacking the necessary skills thus leading to flawed
outcomes.
 Lack of validity and reliability: The outcomes of the clinical method might not
be verified hence invalid and unreliable.

Continuation
2. Water and environmental methods:
 Generally, this involves water monitoring and treatment. In this case drinking
water, waste water, and raw waters are tested for Giardia cysts and
Cryptosporidium .
 Large volumes are tested and treated using various methods such as USEPA
method 1623.
 Through this method, a water sample is first passed through a filter system able
to capture the small Cryptosporidium oocysts and other micro organs

Advantages of Water
and environmental
methods
 Effective protective measure: This methods removes contaminants in the water
and in the processes make it free of disease-causing parasites such as
Cryptosporidium .
 Cost-Savings in the Long Run: Water treatment is less expensive that clinical
methods. Besides, it prevents spread of the parasite hence cost-saving in the long
run.
 Huge coverage: Unlike clinical method which is individualized, water and
environmental methods takes care of a large number of people at the same time.

Disadvantages of Water and
environmental methods
 It might not eliminate every possible contaminant from the drinking water:
And therefore, any person who drinks it can be severely affected.
 Need for Regular Maintenance: Water treatment plants might be somehow
costly since they require to require regular repair and maintenance.

Conclusion
Cryptosporidium is commonly found in every part of the world. Lots of this
parasite can be released at once in a bowel movement from a sick person or
animal. Various approaches can be used to identify Cryptosporidium. Common
ones include clinical method and water and environmental approaches. As
noted in this presentation, every method has its own advantages and
disadvantages which people should consider before making their diagnosis or
treatment decisions.

References
Madison-Antenucci, S., Relich, R. F., Doyle, L., Espina, N., Fuller,
D., Karchmer, T., ... & Harrington, S. M. (2016). Multicenter
evaluation of BD Max enteric parasite real-time PCR assay for
detection of Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium hominis,
Cryptosporidium parvum, and Entamoeba histolytica. Journal
of clinical microbiology, 54(11), 2681-2688.
Aghamolaie, S., Rostami, A., Fallahi, S., Biderouni, F. T.,
Haghighi, A., & Salehi, N. (2016). Evaluation of modified Ziehl–
Neelsen, direct fluorescent-antibody and PCR assay for
detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in children faecal
specimens. Journal of parasitic diseases, 40(3), 958-963.