It's official - Cryptosporidium is a gregarine: What are the implications for the water industry?
Parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium are a major cause of diarrhoea and ill-health in humans and animals and are frequent causes of waterborne outbreaks. Until recently, it was thought that Cryptosporidium was an obligate intracellular parasite that only replicated within a suitable host, and that faecally shed oocysts could survive in the environment but could not multiply. In light of extensive biological and molecular data, including the ability of Cryptosporidium to complete its life cycle in the absence of a host and the production of novel extracellular stages, Cryptosporidium has been formally transferred from the Coccidia, to a new subclass, Cryptogregaria, with gregarine parasites. In this review, we discuss the close relationship between Cryptosporidium and gregarines and discuss the implications for the water industry.
['Ryan|Una|U|', 'Paparini|Andrea|A|', 'Monis|Paul|P|', 'Hijjawi|Nawal|N|']
D000818:Animals D016782:Apicomplexa D003458:Cryptosporidium D006801:Humans D008018:Life Cycle Stages D033661:Oocysts D014867:Water
Cryptosporidium Gregarine Water industry Cell-free Gamont-like extracellular stages