The occurrence and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium species in freshwater biota.

Background: Protozoan pathogens from the genus Cryptosporidium cause the diarrhoeal disease cryptosporidiosis in humans and animals globally. Freshwater biota could act as potential reservoirs or zoonotic sources of Cryptosporidium infections for livestock and people, but Cryptosporidium occurrence in aquatic biota is largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium in a range of freshwater organisms in upland rivers across England and Wales.

Aquatic Parasite Cultures and Their Applications.

In this era of unprecedented growth in aquaculture and trade, aquatic parasite cultures are essential to better understand emerging diseases and their implications for human and animal health. Yet culturing parasites presents multiple challenges, arising from their complex, often multihost life cycles, multiple developmental stages, variable generation times and reproductive modes. Furthermore, the essential environmental requirements of most parasites remain enigmatic.

Quantitative analysis of Cryptosporidium growth in in vitro culture--the impact of parasite density on the success of infection.

Cryptosporidium is an important waterborne pathogen for which no treatment or vaccination is available. This study set out to quantify DNA replication of Cryptosporidium parvum in vitro. Cryptosporidium DNA could be detected at up to 60 % of input level in both host-cell-free and host cell containing cultures 6 days after infection with living sporozoites, but was lost within 2 days in cultures inoculated with UV-inactivated sporozoites.

Heligmosomoides neopolygyrus Asakawa & Ohbayashi, 1986, a cryptic Asian nematode infecting the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius in Central Europe.

Background: Heligmosomoides polygyrus is a widespread gastro-intestinal nematode infecting wild Apodemus (wood mice) throughout Europe. Using molecular and morphological evidence, we review the status of Heligmosomoides from Apodemus agrarius in Poland previously considered to be an outlying clade of H. polygyrus, to further resolve the status of the laboratory model species, H.

PCR characterization suggests that an unusual range of Bartonella species infect the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) in Central Europe.

Blood samples from Apodemus agrarius from Poland yielded PCR amplicons of Bartonella species. These included B. grahamii, B.

Bartonella infections in deer keds (Lipoptena cervi) and moose (Alces alces) in Norway.

Infections with Bartonella spp. have been recognized as emerging zoonotic diseases in humans. Large knowledge gaps exist, however, relating to reservoirs, vectors, and transmission of these bacteria.