Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora are obligate, intracellular, coccidian protozoan parasites that infest the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals causing severe diarrhea illness. In this paper, we present an overview of the conventional and more novel techniques that are currently available to detect Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora in water. Conventional techniques and new immunological and...

Faecal specimens collected in the Kruger National Park from 103 African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) up to 1 year old and 283 buffaloes older than 1 year were examined for the presence of coccidian oocysts and nematode eggs. Most specimens from animals older than 1 year had negative coccidian oocyst counts. Positive specimens from younger animals had significantly higher coccidian oocyst counts ...

Cryptosporidium strikes over 400,000 people in Milwaukee! Cyclospora causes diarrhea in more than 1,000 residents of the USA and Canada! Such dramatic outbreaks have enhanced our awareness of the potential for food-and waterborne microbes to affect large numbers of people in the USA. According to the latest World Health Report, "Almost half the world's population suffers from diseases associate...

Enteric protozoal infection was identified in 5 stranded California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Microscopically, the apical cytoplasm of distal jejunal enterocytes contained multiple stages of coccidian parasites, including schizonts with merozoites and spherical gametocytes, which were morphologically similar to coccidians. By histopathology, organisms appeared to be confined to the in...

The results of investigations on the coccidian parasites of three species of pen− guins (Pygoscelis antarctica, P. papua and P. adeliae), nesting at Livingston and King George Island (South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic) are presented. Three coccidian para− sites: Eimeria pygosceli Golemansky, 2003, Eimeria sp. and Isospora sp. were identified in faecal samples from 360 examined birds. The to...

One of the most important routes of transmission for Toxoplasma gondii infection is the ingestion of foods contaminated with cat feces containing sporulated oocysts. The diagnosis of T. gondii infection by fecal microscopy is complicated, as other similar coccidian oocysts are often present in the same fecal specimen. This study aimed to identify T. gondii oocysts in cat feces using a novel PCR...

Anadromous alewives, Alosa pseudoharengus, have experienced significant population level declines caused by factors including habitat destruction. Alewives occur in two different life histories, anadromous and landlocked forms. The landlocked alewife evolved from ancestral anadromous populations, resulting in an exclusively freshwater and phenotypically unique form. The occurrence of parasites ...