title: It's official - Cryptosporidium is a gregarine: What are the implications for the water industry?
abstract: Parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium are a major cause of diarrhoea and ill-health in humans and animals and are frequent causes of waterborne outbreaks. Until recently, it was thought that Cryptosporidium was an obligate intracellular parasite that only replicated within a suitable host, and that faecally shed oocysts could survive in the environment but could not multiply. In light of extensive biological and molecular data, including the ability of Cryptosporidium to complete its life cycle in the absence of a host and the production of novel extracellular stages, Cryptosporidium has been formally transferred from the Coccidia, to a new subclass, Cryptogregaria, with gregarine parasites. In this review, we discuss the close relationship between Cryptosporidium and gregarines and discuss the implications for the water industry.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia. Electronic address: Una.Ryan@murdoch.edu.au.
authors.forename: Una
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paparini
authors.affiliation: Australian Water Quality Centre, South Australian Water, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, PO Box 150459, Zarqa, 13115, Jordan.
authors.forename: Nawal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hijjawi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016782:Apicomplexa; D003458:Cryptosporidium; D006801:Humans; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D033661:Oocysts; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Cell-free; Cryptosporidium; Gamont-like extracellular stages; Gregarine; Water industry