Cryptosporidium spp. and cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidium spp. are apicomplexan parasites that inhabit the brush borders of the gastrointestinal and respiratory epithelium. Initially thought to be only a pathogen of young animals such as calves and lambs, cryptosporidiosis is now known as an important cause of diarrhea, enterocolitis, and cholangiopathy in humans (Checkley et al. 2015). Healthy children and adults and young animals with cryptosporidiosis usually have a short-term illness accompanied by watery diarrhea, malabsorption, and weight loss. In humans and animals with immunodeficiencies and snakes, however, the infection can be protracted and life-threatening (Chalmers and Davies 2010).