Abstract
BackgroundIn natural aquatic environments biofilms are known to act as environmental reservoirs for Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. However, the fate of these oocysts within biofilms has yet to be determined.MethodsThis study aimed to identify if biofilms have the ability to support the multiplication of Cryptosporidium by measuring the change in parasite number over time using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and detecting the possible extracellular developmental stages using a combination of confocal microscopy and immunolabelling techniques. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm flow cell systems were established and C. parvum oocysts were constantly supplied over a six day period.ResultsA significant (P < 0.001) increase in Cryptosporidium was detected as the biofilm matured, with the total number of C. parvum multiplying 2–3 fold during this period. With this, various Cryptosporidium developmental stages (sporozoites, trophozoites, type I and II meronts) were identified from the biofilm.ConclusionThis is the first study demonstrating that biofilms not only serve as an environmental reservoir for oocysts, but are also capable of supporting the multiplication of Cryptosporidium over time in an aquatic environment.
Highlights
In natural aquatic environments biofilms are known to act as environmental reservoirs for Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts
Cryptosporidium parvum is a zoonotic waterborne pathogen found worldwide [1], with Cryptosporidium oocyst levels commonly monitored in urban water distribution systems [2]
When Cryptosporidium oocysts were introduced into the biofilm system, one day old Cryptosporidiumexposed biofilms formed immature biofilms that were 30 ± 3 μm thick (Figure 2)
Summary
In natural aquatic environments biofilms are known to act as environmental reservoirs for Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. Cryptosporidium parvum is a zoonotic waterborne pathogen found worldwide [1], with Cryptosporidium oocyst levels commonly monitored in urban water distribution systems [2]. Biofilms have been shown to serve as an environmental reservoir for Cryptosporidium oocysts in aquatic environments [20,21,22] and may be responsible for the occurrence of sporadic. There is a current need to better understand Cryptosporidium behaviour in biofilm environments, especially in relation to water distribution systems [18,22] and to investigate whether Cryptosporidium oocysts captured within biofilms can utilise this nutrient rich micro-environment to survive and multiply
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