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Waterborne pathogens present a significant threat to people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). This study presents a randomized, controlled trial that evaluates whether a household-level ceramic water filter (CWF) intervention can improve drinking water quality and decrease days of diarrhea in PLWH in rural South Africa. Seventy-four participants were randomized in an intervention group with CWFs and a control group without filters. Participants in the CWF arm received CWFs impregnated with silver nanoparticles and associated safe-storage containers. Water and stool samples were collected at baseline and 12 months. Diarrhea incidence was self-reported weekly for 12 months. The average diarrhea rate in the control group was 0.064 days/week compared to 0.015 days/week in the intervention group (p < 0.001, Mann–Whitney). Median reduction of total coliform bacteria was 100% at enrollment and final collection. CWFs are an acceptable technology that can significantly improve the quality of household water and decrease days of diarrhea for PLWH in rural South Africa.

Cryptosporidium spp are well recognised as causes of diarrhoeal disease during waterborne epidemics and in immunocompromised hosts. Studies have also drawn attention to an underestimated global burden and suggest major gaps in optimum diagnosis, treatment, and immunisation. Cryptosporidiosis is increasingly identified as an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Studies in low-resource settings and high-income countries have confirmed the importance of cryptosporidium as a cause of diarrhoea and childhood malnutrition. Diagnostic tests for cryptosporidium infection are suboptimum, necessitating specialised tests that are often insensitive. Antigen-detection and PCR improve sensitivity, and multiplexed antigen detection and molecular assays are underused. Therapy has some effect in healthy hosts and no proven efficacy in patients with AIDS. Use of cryptosporidium genomes has helped to identify promising therapeutic targets, and drugs are in development, but methods to assess the efficacy in vitro and in animals are not well standardised. Partial immunity after exposure suggests the potential for successful vaccines, and several are in development; however, surrogates of protection are not well defined. Improved methods for propagation and genetic manipulation of the organism would be significant advances.

Gastrointestinal disease caused by the apicomplexan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most important diseases of young ruminant livestock, particularly neonatal calves. Infected animals may suffer from profuse watery diarrhoea, dehydration and in severe cases death can occur. At present, effective therapeutic and preventative measures are not available and a better understanding of the host–pathogen interactions is required. Cryptosporidium parvum is also an important zoonotic pathogen causing severe disease in people, with young children being particularly vulnerable. Our knowledge of the immune responses induced by Cryptosporidium parasites in clinically relevant hosts is very limited. This review discusses the impact of bovine cryptosporidiosis and describes how a thorough understanding of the host–pathogen interactions may help to identify novel prevention and control strategies.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are important causes of diarrhoeal illness. Adequate knowledge of the molecular diversity and geographical distribution of these parasites and the environmental and climatic variables that influence their prevalence is important for effective control of infection in at-risk populations, yet relatively little is known about the epidemiology of these parasites in Africa. Cryptosporidium is associated with moderate to severe diarrhoea and increased mortality in African countries and both parasites negatively affect child growth and development. Malnutrition and HIV status are also important contributors to the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in African countries. Molecular typing of both parasites in humans, domestic animals and wildlife to date indicates a complex picture of both anthroponotic, zoonotic and spill-back transmission cycles that requires further investigation. For Cryptosporidium , the only available drug (nitazoxanide) is ineffective in HIV and malnourished individuals and therefore more effective drugs are a high priority. Several classes of drugs with good efficacy exist for Giardia , but dosing regimens are suboptimal and emerging resistance threatens clinical utility. Climate change and population growth are also predicted to increase both malnutrition and the prevalence of these parasites in water sources. Dedicated and co-ordinated commitments from African governments involving “One Health” initiatives with multidisciplinary teams of veterinarians, medical workers, relevant government authorities, and public health specialists working together are essential to control and prevent the burden of disease caused by these parasites.

Newborn calf diarrhea is one of the most important diseases in bovine rearing, with various infectious origins. The aim of the study was to evaluate distribution of enteropathogens in calves, effect of vaccination and document transmission routes of cryptosporidiosis. In this study, 1159 stool samples were collected from calves and dams in France in: i) an experimental unit benefiting from high hygienic conditions and ii) farms selected on historical context of recurrent neonatal calf diarrhea. Stool samples were screened for enteric pathogens using the Speed-V-Diar-5 © antigen test (Virbac Diagnostics) and Cryptosporidium spp. were additionally identified by PCR, genotyped and subjected to multilocus variant analysis (MLVA). The effect of prepartum vaccination against bovine coronavirus, rotavirus and E. coli was evaluated. Results showed that Cryptosporidium was the most frequent enteropathogen, followed by bovine rotavirus. Only 16% of calves were symptomatic when systematic vaccination of dams was performed. The Speed-V-Diar-5 © antigen test (Virbac Diagnostics) achieved sensitivities for Cryptosporidium detection ranging from 67 to 70% in symptomatic calves depending of sites. For the first time, C. mortiferum and C. meleagridis were reported in symptomatic calves. A large diversity of C. parvum genotypes was identified in calves, only from the zoonotic families IIa and IId. The IIaA15G2R1 genotype represented the large majority of identified genotypes. The comparison of genotypes between calves and dams suggest that vertical transmission was not the primary route of transmission. Calf-to-calf transmission and environmental contamination probably play important roles in the spread of Cryptosporidium among calves.

A prior systematic review on the efficacy of halofuginone (HFG) treatment to prevent or treat cryptosporidiosis in bovine calves was inconclusive. We undertook an updated synthesis and meta-analyses on key outcomes for the treatment of calves with HFG. Evaluated outcomes were oocyst shedding, diarrhoea, mortality and weight gain. Experiments had to describe results for same age animals in contemporary arms. Most doses were 100–150 mcg kg−1 day−1. Results were subgrouped by study design, experiments with the lowest risk of bias and lack of industry funding. Eighteen articles were found that described 25 experiments. Most evidence came from randomized controlled trials in Europe. Significantly lower incidence of oocyst shedding, diarrhoea burden and mortality was reported when treatment started before calves were 5 days old. Most studies reported on outcomes for animals up to at least 28 days old. Publication bias was possible in all outcomes and seemed especially likely for diarrhoea outcomes. Beneficial results when HFG treatment was initiated in calves older than 5 days were also found. Prophylactic treatment to prevent cryptosporidiosis is effective in preventing multiple negative outcomes and is beneficial to calf health and will result in a reduction of environmental contamination by Cryptosporidium oocysts.

The present review discusses the findings of cryptosporidiosis research conducted in cattle in China and highlights the currently available information on Cryptosporidium epidemiology, genetic diversity, and distribution in China, which is critical to understanding the economic and public health importance of cryptosporidiosis transmission in cattle. To date, 10 Cryptosporidium species have been detected in cattle in China, with an overall infection rate of 11.9%. The highest rate of infection (19.5%) was observed in preweaned calves, followed by that in juveniles (10.69%), postweaned juveniles (9.0%), and adult cattle (4.94%). The dominant species were C. parvum in preweaned calves and C. andersoni in postweaned, juvenile, and adult cattle. Zoonotic Cryptosporidium species (C. parvum and C. hominis) were found in cattle, indicating the possibility of transmission between humans and cattle. Different cattle breeds had significant differences in the prevalence rate and species of Cryptosporidium. This review demonstrates an age-associated, breed-associated, and geographic-related occurrence of Cryptosporidium and provides references for further understanding of the epidemiological characteristics, and for preventing and controlling the disease.

Background. Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of moderate to severe childhood diarrhea in resource-poor settings. Understanding the natural history of cryptosporidiosis and the correlates of protection are essential to develop effective and sustainable approaches to disease control and prevention. Methods. Children (N = 497) were recruited at birth in semiurban slums in Vellore, India, and followed for 3 years with twice-weekly home visits. Stool samples were collected every 2 weeks and during diarrheal episodes were tested for Cryptosporidium species by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serum samples obtained every 6 months were evaluated for seroconversion, defined as a 4-fold increase in immunoglobulin G directed against Cryptosporidium gp15 and/or Cp23 antigens between consecutive sera. Results. Of 410 children completing follow-up, 397 (97%) acquired cryptosporidiosis by 3 years of age. PCR identified 1053 episodes of cryptosporidiosis, with an overall incidence of 0.86 infections per child-year by stool and serology. The median age for the first infection was 9 (interquartile range, 4–17) months, indicating early exposure. Although infections were mainly asymptomatic (693 [66%]), Cryptosporidium was identified in 9.4% of diarrheal episodes. The proportion of reinfected children was high (81%) and there was clustering of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections (P < .0001 for both). Protection against infection increased with the order of infection but was only 69% after 4 infections. Cryptosporidium hominis (73.3%) was the predominant Cryptosporidium species, and there was no species-specific protection. Conclusions. There is a high burden of endemic cryptosporidiosis in southern India. Clustering of infection is suggestive of host susceptibility. Multiple reinfections conferred some protection against subsequent infection.

Cryptosporidium is one of the major causes of diarrhea in HIV-positive patients. The aim of this study is to systematically review and meta-analyze the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in these patients. PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane and Ovid databases were searched for relevant studies dating from the period of 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2017. Data extraction for the included studies was performed independently by two authors. The overall pooled prevalence was calculated and subgroup analysis was performed on diagnostic methods, geographical distribution and study population. Meta-regression was performed on the year of publication, proportion of patients with diarrhea, and proportion of patients with CD4 < 200 cells/mL. One hundred and sixty-one studies and 51,123 HIV-positive participants were included. The overall pooled prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in HIV-positive patients was 11.2% (CI95%: 9.4%–13.0%). The pooled prevalence was estimated to be 10.0% (CI95%: 8.4%–11.8%) using staining methods, 13.5% (CI95%: 8.9%–19.8%) using molecular methods, and 26.3% (CI95%: 15.0%–42.0%) using antigen detection methods. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium in HIV patients was significantly associated with the country of study. Also, there were statistical differences between the diarrhea, CD4 < 200 cells/mL, and antiretroviral therapy risk factors with Cryptosporidiosis. Thus, Cryptosporidium is a common infection in HIV-positive patients, and safe water and hand-hygiene should be implemented to prevent cryptosporidiosis occurrence in these patients. Cryptosporidium est l’une des principales causes de diarrhée chez les patients séropositifs pour le VIH. Le but de cette étude est de revoir et méta-analyser systématiquement la prévalence de Cryptosporidium chez ces patients. Les bases de données PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane et Ovid ont été recherchées pour des études pertinentes datant du 1er janvier 2000 au 31 décembre 2017. L’extraction des données pour les études incluses a été réalisée indépendamment par deux auteurs. La prévalence globale combinée a été calculée et une analyse en sous-groupes a été effectuée sur les méthodes de diagnostic, la répartition géographique et la population étudiée. Une méta-régression a été réalisée pour l’année de publication, la proportion de patients atteints de diarrhée et la proportion de patients avec CD4 < 200 cellules/mL. Cent soixante et une études et 51,123 participants séropositifs ont été inclus. La prévalence globale combinée de l’infection à Cryptosporidium chez les patients VIH-séropositifs était de 11,2 % (IC95 % : 9,4 %–13,0 %). La prévalence regroupée a été estimée à 10,0 % (IC95 % : 8,4 %–11,8 %) en utilisant des méthodes de coloration, 13,5 % (IC95 % : 8,9 %–19,8 %) en utilisant des méthodes moléculaires et 26,3 % (IC95 % : 15,0 %–42,0 %) en utilisant des méthodes de détection d’antigènes. La prévalence de Cryptosporidium chez les patients infectés par le VIH était significativement associée au pays d’étude. En outre, il existe des différences statistiques entre la diarrhée, les CD4 < 200 cellules/mL et les facteurs de risque du traitement antirétroviral avec la cryptosporidiose. Ainsi, Cryptosporidium est une infection courante chez les patients séropositifs, et une eau salubre et une hygiène des mains doivent être mises en œuvre pour prévenir la survenue de cryptosporidiose chez ces patients.

Infectious diarrhea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly for children in low- and middle-income countries. Cryptosporidium is a diarrheal pathogen for which there is no vaccine and current therapies are only partially effective. In this issue of the JCI, Gilchrist, Campo, and colleagues surveyed a large cohort of Bangladeshi children to profile antibody responses against an array of Cryptosporidium proteins. They discovered 233 proteins to which children developed antibodies, identified seven as being associated with protection from reinfection, and provided insights regarding the longevity of Cryptosporidium antibodies and the development of antibody breadth. In this commentary, we discuss the burden of disease caused by Cryptosporidium and how these studies highlight the strategies to better manage this parasite.