Microbial adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum: identification of a colostrum-derived inhibitory lipid.

We previously described an unidentified lipid purified from calf small intestine that inhibits the in vitro adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites to host cells [Johnson JK, Schmidt J, Gelberg HB, Kuhlenschmidt MS. Microbial adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites: purification of an inhibitory lipid from bovine mucosa. J Parasitol 2004;90:980-90].

Gliding motility leads to active cellular invasion by Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites.

We examined gliding motility and cell invasion by an early-branching apicomplexan, Cryptosporidium parvum, which causes diarrheal disease in humans and animals. Real-time video microscopy demonstrated that C. parvum sporozoites undergo circular and helical gliding, two of the three stereotypical movements exhibited by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites.

Microbial adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites: purification of an inhibitory lipid from bovine mucosa.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan pathogen of humans and livestock worldwide. Its ability to infect a wide range of species raises questions as to the involvement of a specific host cell receptor for parasite-host recognition. To investigate the mechanism of parasite-host cell recognition, we have developed an in vitro cell suspension binding assay to investigate adhesion of C.