Overview of Cryptosporidium presentations at the 10th International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists.

Abstract

It has been over 100 years since the discovery of Cryptosporidium in the stomachs of house mice by the prominent American microbiologist Ernest E. Tyzzer in 1907 (58) and over 30 years since the identification of Cryptosporidium as a human pathogen in 1976 (38, 40). Cryptosporidiosis remains an important opportunistic pathogen in human immunodeficiency virus-positive persons. This is due largely to the limited use of highly active antiretroviral therapy in developing countries and the lack of an effective drug against the parasite in immunocompromised persons. Recent research efforts in cryptosporidiosis are directed largely at characterizations of environmental ecology, infection source, and risk factors using molecular diagnostic tools, identifications of parasite-unique biochemical and metabolic pathways for drug development, and elucidations of immune responses and pathogenesis. These efforts have been greatly facilitated by the recent completion of whole-genome sequencing of Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium hominis, and Cryptosporidium muris. The 26 research studies presented at the 10th International Workshop on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP-10) clearly reflected the current trends in cryptosporidiosis research.