A One Health approach to cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidium is a zoonotic parasite and a major cause of diarrhoeal disease in humans and animals worldwide. Impacts of cryptosporidial infections include both growth and cognitive defects in children and significant production losses in livestock. The environmental stage, the oocyst, is very robust and due to its resistance to disinfectants is an important source of waterborne and foodborne outbreaks. There are no vaccines and few treatment options available. Understanding zoonotic transmission routes via a One Health approach, and improved therapeutics are central to control. This presentation will focus on analysis of the contributions of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species to water and foodborne outbreaks, the application of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to identify zoonotic transmission routes and the development of novel culture systems to better improve drug-screening against this parasite.

Prof. Una Ryan is a Professor at Murdoch University in Western Australia, and works on protozoan systematics and molecular epidemiology, particularly Cryptosporidium and Giardia. 

She is currently co-Editor in Chief of Parasitology Research.