''Cryptosporidium muris'' is a species of
coccidium
Coccidia (Coccidiasina) are a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites belonging to the apicomplexan class Conoidasida.
As obligate intracellular parasites, they must live and reproduce within an ...
, first isolated from the gastric glands of the common mouse.
''Cryptosporidium'' does originate in common mice, specifically
laboratory mice
The laboratory mouse or lab mouse is a small mammal of the order Rodentia which is bred and used for scientific research or feeders for certain pets. Laboratory mice are usually of the species ''Mus musculus''. They are the most commonly used ...
. However, it also has infected cows, dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, lambs, and humans and other primates.
General characteristics
''Cryptosporidium muris'' infects dogs, rabbits, lambs, cats, humans, and non-human primates.
This type of ''cryptosporidium'' infects people and animals by the oocyst acquired in water. If people or animals drink the water, then they could become infected and then complete the cycle by passing oocysts. People and animals can also become infected by being in water that has the oocysts present. The area where ''Cryptosporidium muris'' most commonly occurs is in Kenya, France, Thailand, and Indonesia. It also occurs in the western hemisphere but to a far lower amount.
Diagnostics and prevention
The current diagnostics for ''Cryptosporidium muris'' are
Polymerase Chain Reaction
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies (complete or partial) of a specific DNA sample, allowing scientists to take a very small sample of DNA and amplify it (or a part of it) t ...
(PCR),
Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), and
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...
. Diagnostic tests can be frustrating as it is highly difficult to differentiate between species and the treatment would be the same for all species. ''Cryptosporidium muris'' is resistant to disinfectants; it has been discovered that
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
or UV light helps to kill the species.
As for prevention, people should not drink infected water or play in it. Also making sure to practice good hygiene improves the risks of not contracting ''Cryptosporidium''.
Prevalence
''Cryptosporidium muris'' has prevalence in the following species in the following amount:
Dairy Cows -68%
Feedlot Cows- 80%
Mice- 26%, and
Rats- 5%.
References
Further reading
* Palmer, Carol J., ''et al''. "Cryptosporidium muris, a rodent pathogen, recovered from a human in Peru." Emerging infectious diseases 9.9 (2003): 1174.
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* Gatei, Wangeci, et al. "Cryptosporidium muris infection in an HIV-infected adult, Kenya." Emerging infectious diseases 8.2 (2002): 204–206.
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External links
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Conoidasida
Waterborne diseases
{{Apicomplexa-stub