Molecular methods for the detection and classification of Cryptosporidium.
Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a parasitic protozoan belonging to the coccidial genus Cryptosporidium. Current laboratory methods are adequate for the detection of the infection when oocysts are present in great numbers, but more-sensitive means of identification are urgently required. In a recent issue of Parasitology Today, Carolyn Petersen has presented a review of the cell biology of this parasite'. Here, Kath Webster draws attention to the various methods involved in its detection and classification.
Webster
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Central Veterinary Laboratory, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Weybridge, UK KT 15 3NB.