A Pumpless and Tubeless Microfluidic Device Enables Extended In Vitro Development of .

Background: The enteric parasite remains a treatment challenge for drinking water utilities globally due to its resistance to chlorine disinfection. However, the lack of an in vitro culture system for that is both cost-effective and reliable remains a key bottleneck in research.

Methods: Here we report that the microfluidic culture of human ileocecal colorectal adenocarcinoma (HCT-8) cells under fluid shear stress enables the extended development of .

Use of micropollutant indicator ratios to characterize wastewater treatment plant efficiency and to identify wastewater impact on groundwater.

Contamination by wastewater has been traditionally assessed by measuring faecal coliforms, such as E. coli and entereococci. However, using micropollutants to track wastewater input is gaining interest.

Minimal zoonotic risk of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis from frogs and reptiles.

The zoonotic potential of the protist parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in amphibians and reptiles raises public health concerns due to their growing popularity as pets. This review examines the prevalence and diversity of these parasites in wild and captive amphibians and reptiles to better understand the zoonotic risk.

Rabbits as reservoirs: An updated perspective of the zoonotic risk from Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Rabbits are highly abundant in many countries and can serve as reservoirs of diseases for a diversity of pathogens including the enteric protozoan parasites, Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Both parasites shed environmentally robust environmental stages (oo/cysts) and have been responsible for numerous waterborne outbreaks of diseases. Cryptosporidium hominis and C.

Critters and contamination: Zoonotic protozoans in urban rodents and water quality.

Rodents represent the single largest group within mammals and host a diverse array of zoonotic pathogens. Urbanisation impacts wild mammals, including rodents, leading to habitat loss but also providing new resources. Urban-adapted (synanthropic) rodents, such as the brown rat (R.

Zoonotic Cryptosporidium and Giardia in marsupials-an update.

Marsupials, inhabiting diverse ecosystems, including urban and peri-urban regions in Australasia and the Americas, intersect with human activities, leading to zoonotic spill-over and anthroponotic spill-back of pathogens, including Cryptosporidium and Giardia. This review assesses the current knowledge on the diversity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia species in marsupials, focusing on the potential zoonotic risks. Cryptosporidium fayeri and C.

The risk of wild birds contaminating source water with zoonotic Cryptosporidium and Giardia is probably overestimated.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are important waterborne protozoan parasites that are resistant to disinfectants commonly used for drinking water. Wild birds, especially wild migratory birds, are often implicated in the contamination of source and wastewater with zoonotic diseases, due to their abundance near water and in urban areas and their ability to spread enteric pathogens over long distances. This review summarises the diversity of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in birds, with a focus on zoonotic species, particularly in wild and migratory birds, which is critical for understanding zoonotic risks.

and in cats and dogs: What is the real zoonotic risk?

Due to the close bond between humans and companion animals, a thorough understanding of the diversity of species and assemblages in cats and dogs is essential to determine the potential zoonotic risks. Analysis of molecular studies shows that and are the main species infecting cats and dogs, respectively. These species are largely host-specific, as despite intense association with humans, prevalence of and in humans is low and predominantly in immunocompromised individuals and low-income countries.

Comparison of in vitro growth characteristics of Cryptosporidium hominis (IdA15G1) and Cryptosporidium parvum (Iowa-IIaA17G2R1 and IIaA18G3R1).

Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhoeal disease and mortality in young children in resource-poor countries, for which no vaccines or adequate therapeutic options are available. Infection in humans is primarily caused by two species: C. hominis and C.

Longitudinal follow-up reveals occurrence of successive Cryptosporidium bovis and Cryptosporidium ryanae infections by different subtype families in dairy cattle.

Cryptosporidium bovis and Cryptosporidium ryanae are common species causing cryptosporidiosis in cattle. Data accumulated thus far indicate that the infection patterns of the two species could be different between areas with and without Cryptosporidium parvum. To better understand the infection dynamics of these two species, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of Cryptosporidium spp.

Cryptosporidium equi n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae): Biological and genetic characterisations.

The horse genotype is one of three common Cryptosporidium spp. in equine animals and has been identified in some human cases. The species status of Cryptosporidium horse genotype remains unclear due to the lack of extensive morphological, biological, and genetic data.

Next-generation sequencing amplicon analysis of the genetic diversity of Eimeria populations in livestock and wildlife samples from Australia.

Eimeria is an important coccidian enteric parasite that infects a wide range of hosts and can cause substantial economic losses in the poultry and livestock industries. It is common for multiple Eimeria species to infect individual hosts, and this can make species identification difficult due to morphological similarities between species and mixed chromatograms when using Sanger sequencing. Relatively few studies have applied next-generation amplicon sequencing (NGS) to determining the genetic diversity of Eimeria species in different hosts.

Point of care diagnostics for Cryptosporidium: new and emerging technologies.

Purpose Of Review: Although Cryptosporidium detection and typing techniques have improved dramatically in recent years, relatively little research has been conducted on point of care (POC) detection and typing tools. Therefore, the main purpose of the present review is to summarize and evaluate recent and emerging POC diagnostic methods for Cryptosporidium spp.

Recent Findings: Microscopy techniques such as light-emitting diode fluorescence microscopy with auramine-phenol staining (LED-AP), still have utility for (POC) diagnostics but require fluorescent microscopes and along with immunological-based techniques, suffer from lack of specificity and sensitivity.

The Troublesome Ticks Research Protocol: Developing a Comprehensive, Multidiscipline Research Plan for Investigating Human Tick-Associated Disease in Australia.

In Australia, there is a paucity of data about the extent and impact of zoonotic tick-related illnesses. Even less is understood about a multifaceted illness referred to as Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks (DSCATT). Here, we describe a research plan for investigating the aetiology, pathophysiology, and clinical outcomes of human tick-associated disease in Australia.

Current assumptions for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) of Norovirus contamination of drinking water catchments due to recreational activities: an update.

Contamination of drinking water from Norovirus (NoV) and other waterborne viruses is a major public health concern globally. Increasingly, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is being used to assess the various risks from waterborne pathogens and evaluate control strategies. As urban populations grow and expand, there is increasing demand for recreational activities in drinking water catchments.

Review of generic screening level assumptions for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for estimating public health risks from Australian drinking water sources contaminated with Cryptosporidium by recreational activities.

As urban communities continue to grow, demand for recreational access (including swimming) in drinking water sources have increased, yet relatively little is understood about the public health implications this poses for drinking water consumers. Preventative risk-based approaches to catchment management, informed by quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), requires accurate input data to effectively model risks. A sound understanding of the knowledge gaps is also important to comprehend levels of uncertainty and help prioritise research needs.

Illuminating the bacterial microbiome of Australian ticks with and -specific next-generation sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) studies show that mosquito and tick microbiomes influence the transmission of pathogens, opening new avenues for vector-borne pathogen control. Recent microbiological studies of Australian ticks highlight fundamental knowledge gaps of tick-borne agents. This investigation explored the composition, diversity and prevalence of bacteria in Australian ticks ( = 655) from companion animals (dogs, cats and horses).

Haemoprotozoan surveillance in peri-urban native and introduced wildlife from Australia.

Vector-borne haemoprotozoans comprise a diverse group of eukaryote single-celled organisms transmitted by haematophagous (blood-feeding) invertebrates. They can cause debilitating diseases that impact wildlife, livestock, companion animals and humans. Recent research has shown that Australian wildlife host a diverse range of haemoprotozoan species; however, to date this work has primarily been confined to a few host species or isolated populations in rural habitats.

Association of Common Zoonotic Pathogens With Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

Animal farming has intensified significantly in recent decades, with the emergence of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in industrialized nations. The congregation of susceptible animals in CAFOs can lead to heavy environmental contamination with pathogens, promoting the emergence of hyper-transmissible, and virulent pathogens. As a result, CAFOs have been associated with emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, hepatitis E virus, O157:H7, , livestock-associated methicillin-resistant , and in farm animals.

A review of the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are important protozoan parasites which are associated with diarrheal diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Relatively little is known about the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp.

Emergence of zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum in China.

Zoonotic cryptosporidiosis is a major public health problem in industrialized nations; in those countries it is caused mainly by Cryptosporidium parvum IIa subtypes that are prevalent in dairy calves. Because of the short history of intensive animal farming in China, strains of C. parvum are found only on some dairy farms in this country and are the IId subtypes.

The bacterial biome of ticks and their wildlife hosts at the urban-wildland interface.

Advances in sequencing technologies have revealed the complex and diverse microbial communities present in ticks (Ixodida). As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks are responsible for a number of infectious diseases that can affect humans, livestock, domestic animals and wildlife. While cases of human tick-borne diseases continue to increase in the northern hemisphere, there has been relatively little recognition of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in Australia.

An Update on Zoonotic Species and Genotypes in Humans.

The enteric parasite, is a major cause of diarrhoeal illness in humans and animals worldwide. No effective therapeutics or vaccines are available and therefore control is dependent on understanding transmission dynamics. The development of molecular detection and typing tools has resulted in the identification of a large number of cryptic species and genotypes and facilitated our understanding of their potential for zoonotic transmission.