Cryptosporidium Lab Report
Introduction
The ubiquitous presence of rodents in many environments and their sharing of habitats with farmed animals and contamination of drinking source water have led to many studies on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in these animals (1). Wild rats may act as reservoirs for some important parasitic disease such as toxoplasmosis (2), cryptosporidiosis (1, 3) and leishmaniasis (4, 5). The mentioned diseases endanger life of many individuals with suppressed or weak immune system in the world annually (6). Wild rats are very adaptable to urban environments and they are highly adapted to coexisting with human populations (7). Cryptosporidium is an intestinal protozoan parasite, which has been identified as an important enteric pathogen of humans and animals (8). The disease, cryptosporidiosis, usually manifests as watery diarrhea, with symptoms ranging in severity and chronicity depending on the age and immunological status of the host (9). …show more content…
Oocysts were identified on the basis of morphology and color (18). The prevalence was calculated using descriptive statistics via SPSS (ver. 16). All institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.
Results
A total of 42 wild brown rats were captured alive during the trapping period (Figure 3). From 14 districts that trapping were carried out, wild brown rats were captured in 9 districts (Table 1). In the current study, district 5 (Figure 2 and Table 1) with eight captured rats has the highest abundance of wild brown rats among all trapping districts. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium (Figure 4) in the present study was 7.1% (Table 1). The three positive cases belong to 3 districts (districts 2, 3 and 11) at Shoushatr, Iran (Figure 2 and Table 1).
Figure 4. Cryptosporidium spp. Oocyst Detected in Intestinal Contents of Wild Brown Rats at Shoushtar.
The ubiquitous presence of rodents in many environments and their sharing of habitats with farmed animals and contamination of drinking source water have led to many studies on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in these animals (1). Wild rats may act as reservoirs for some important parasitic disease such as toxoplasmosis (2), cryptosporidiosis (1, 3) and leishmaniasis (4, 5). The mentioned diseases endanger life of many individuals with suppressed or weak immune system in the world annually (6). Wild rats are very adaptable to urban environments and they are highly adapted to coexisting with human populations (7). Cryptosporidium is an intestinal protozoan parasite, which has been identified as an important enteric pathogen of humans and animals (8). The disease, cryptosporidiosis, usually manifests as watery diarrhea, with symptoms ranging in severity and chronicity depending on the age and immunological status of the host (9). …show more content…
Oocysts were identified on the basis of morphology and color (18). The prevalence was calculated using descriptive statistics via SPSS (ver. 16). All institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.
Results
A total of 42 wild brown rats were captured alive during the trapping period (Figure 3). From 14 districts that trapping were carried out, wild brown rats were captured in 9 districts (Table 1). In the current study, district 5 (Figure 2 and Table 1) with eight captured rats has the highest abundance of wild brown rats among all trapping districts. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium (Figure 4) in the present study was 7.1% (Table 1). The three positive cases belong to 3 districts (districts 2, 3 and 11) at Shoushatr, Iran (Figure 2 and Table 1).
Figure 4. Cryptosporidium spp. Oocyst Detected in Intestinal Contents of Wild Brown Rats at Shoushtar.