This document summarizes the Cryptosporidium parasite family, specifically C. parvum and C. hominis. Cryptosporidium causes gastrointestinal or respiratory illness in many species. C. parvum and C. hominis are the main causes in humans. They have a life cycle involving oocysts that can be transmitted through food/water and cause diarrhea. While symptoms can be severe in immunocompromised people, many infections cause no symptoms. Proper hygiene and water treatment/boiling can help prevent transmission.

1. FAMILY CRYPTOSPORIDIDAE:

2. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CRPTOSPORIDIUM
C.PARIVUM
 Pathogenesis
 Life cycle
 Precuations
C.HOMINIS

3. INTRODUCTION:
 This family contains the single genus
Cryptosporidium, parasites occupying brush borders
of intestinal epithelia in fish,reptiles, birds, and
mammals.
 Family : CRYPTOSPORIDIIDAE
 Genus : Cryptosporidium
 Specie : C.parvan and C.hominis
 Cryptosporidium species has been found to infect
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

4. CRYPTOSPORIDIUM:
 Cryptosporidium is a genus of apicomplexan
parasitic cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal
illness;
 (cryptosporidiosis) that primarily involves watery
diarrhea (intestinal cryptosporidiosis)
 with or without a persistent cough (respiratory
cryptosporidiosis) in both immunocompetent and
immunodeficient humans.
A number of Cryptosporidium species infect
mammals. In humans, the main causes of disease
are C. parvum and C. hominis

5. C.PARVUM
 Cryptosporidium parvum is an opportunistic parasite of
humans, both immunodeficient and immunocompetent,
and especially of young children.
 Cryptosporidiosis commonly occurs in patients with
AIDS and can be an important contributory factor in
their deaths.
 These coccidians are very small (2 μm to 6 μm) and
live in the brush border or just under the free-surface
membrane of host gastrointestinal or respiratory
epithelial cells.
 Oocysts are seen only in feces, and diagnosis is made
using formalin-ethyl acetate and hypertonic sodium
chloride flotation followed by Ziehl-Nielsen staining
methods

6. LIFE CYCLE
Three developmental stages
 Meronts,
 Gamonts
 Oocysts
 Crypto begins its life cycle as sporulated oocysts, which enter
the environment through the feces of the infected host.
 The infective oocysts reside in food and water
 Most transmission occurs through recreational water use,
such as in pools and lakes. Crypto has also entered drinking
water supplies, causing major outbreaks in cities around the
world.

7. CONTINUE…
 Infection occurs when the oocysts are ingested by a
suitable host
 While in the intestines, the oocyst
releases sporozoites which invade the epithelial
linings of the intestines or the lungs
 Within these cells, the sporozoites undergo
schizogony, or asexual reproduction.
 The sporozoites then enter a sexual reproductive
stage. Female macrogamonts and male
microgamonts develop, and fertilization occurs.

8. CONTINUE…
 The resulting zygote can develop into: a) a thick-
walled oocyst that will exit the host,
 b) a thin-walled oocyst which will autoinfect the host
 The infectious oocysts are passed through the
feces
 These oocysts enter the environment to await
ingestion by the next host.

10. PATHOGENESIS:
In patients with AIDS, the parasites cause profuse,
 watery diarrhea lasting for several months
 Bowel-movement frequency ranges from 6 to 25 per
day, and the maximal stool volume ranges from 1 to 17
liters per day.
 Stomach cramps
 Vomiting
 Weight loss
 Fever
 Sometimes no symptoms are seen

11. PREVENTATION:
 Current water purification methods are ineffective at
removing the parasite from drinking water,
 There is no effective therapy to treat
cryptosporidium infection
 People should wash their hands regularly as the
most effective means of preventing transmission.
 People should peel, wash, and cook all vegetables
thoroughly. They may also wish to boil or filter
drinking water.

12. C.HOMINIS
 C. hominis shares many similar characteristics
with C. parvum including identical oocyst
morphology and life-cycle, only differentiation occurs
at molecular level.
 The life cycle of Cryptosporidium hominis is similar
to that of others of the genus with
infective sporozoites from ingested oocysts invading
gut epithelium.
 Several species of Blastocystis have been
described from ducks, geese, camels, and even

13. Continuee…
 C.Hominis has been implicated in various intestinal
disorders, including traveler’s diarrhea and irritable
bowel syndrome etc.