• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1999

Cryptosporidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by the protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum. The most common manifestation in human is enteric symptoms, which in immunocompetent hosts are self-limiting but can be life threatening in immunocompromised hosts, characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, severe weight loss. It's prevalence rate in immunocompetent host is variable by geographic locations (3~11%) but up to 15~40% in AIDS patients. Now it is considered as one of the important enteropathogens causing diarrhea not only in immunocompromised but also in immunocompetent hosts, especially in children. We experienced two cases of cryptosporidiosis in a 15 year old boy who was admitted due to diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever and in a 8 year old boy who was admitted due to watery diarrhea and vomiting. These are the first clinical cases of cryptosporidiosis confirmed by electron microscopy of the colonic mucosa among immunocompetent children in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2021

This study was performed to identify the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in diarrhea feces of Korean native calves raised in Gimje, Jeollabuk-do, with a rapid diagnostic kit. The prevalence of both diseases were classified according to the age of calf, season of sampling period, and sampled farm where diarrheic calf is commonly observed. In diarrhea feces of 431 calves, cryptosporidiosis had a high incidence rate between 1 and 3 weeks of age, whereas giardiasis showed a high incidence between 4 and 6 weeks of age. It is thought that the incidence of protozoan diseases is markedly influenced by the calf's postnatal age. Regarding with the sampling season, the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in calves was significantly higher in spring and summer than in autumn and winter (P<0.05). Among the sampled farms where both diseases are commonly observed, cryptosporidiosis was more frequently detected than giardiasis in calves. Particularly, in farms where cryptosporidiosis is common, it tends to be a disease that is difficult to eradicate as it occurs continuously throughout the year. Hygiene management such as regular cleaning and disinfection of the livestock and the surrounding environments is considered necessary to reduce and prevent damage from these protozoal diseases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2001

Cryposporidium species have a wide host range. These coccidian parasites are found in close association with epithelial cells of many species of animals including mm. The gastrointestinal tract is most commonly affected in young ruminants and this parasite is thought to be considerable importance in calf diarrhea complex. Major outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been reported in calves, lambs, pigs and others including avian species. Cryptosporidiosis is transmitted by oocysts of Cryptosporidium species. Because cryptosporidiosis is common infection among animals, early literature considered it a zoonosis. Human infections contracted from calves, cats, and horse feces. However, the resrvoir host is longer considered the major source of infection. Mild cases of disease have been reported in farm workers. Immunosuppressed, very young and very old persons should avoid contact with this parasite because it may cause severe diarrhea. In order to detect of Crytosporidium sp infection from feces of cattle and pigs at Chonbuk Iksan and Kunsan area, sedimentation and modified acid fast stain were applied. The positive rate of Cryptosporidium sp infection from 1, 176 of cattle and 267 of pigs were 0.5 % and 16.8%, respectively. According to area in Iksan and Kunsan, the positive rates were 0.4% and 0.9% from cattle, and 18.9% and 12.1% from pigs, respectively. In cattle, positive detection rate was 0.6% in milking cows but not in Korean cattle.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.257-260
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• 2014

A calf suffering from diarrhea was admitted to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for diagnostic evaluation. Postmortem examination revealed that the mesenteric lymph node was enlarged and small intestine wall was thin. Microscopically, a large number of small round organisms were attached to the small intestine villi. Villous atrophy and proprial neutrophil infiltration were also observed. Based on modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining, electron microscopy, and ELISA results, the calf was diagnosed with fatal cryptosporidiosis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 1990

Cryptosporidium, a coccidian parasite first described by Tyzzer (1907) from a laboratory mouse, has become an important human enteric pathogen causing overwhelming diarrhea especially in immunocompromised patients such as AIDS. This parasite has been reported from over 20 countries and is recognized as a cosmopolitan species. In Korea, however, thEre has been no report on human as well as animal cryptosporidiosis. This study was performed so as to verify the presence of Cryptosporidium in Korea by activating the parasite from laboratory mice by immunosuppression. Total 65 conventionally.bred ICR mice including a control (5 mice) and 3 experimental groups (20 each) were used for this study. Group I was immunosuppressed with Prednisolone injection (1 mg IM, every other day) for 7 weeks. Group II (prednisolone injection and tetracycline administration) and Group III. (prednisolone injection and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole administration) were prepared to observe the effect of antibacterial agents on the activation of cryptosporidiosis. In fecal examinations of mice Cryptosporidium oocysts($4-6{\mu\textrm{m}}$ in size) were detected from 1 week after the start of immunosuppression and the mice began to die. In H-E stained tissue sections of the lower jejunum, numerous very small ($2~4{\;}{\mu\textrm{m}}$), dense, ovoid or spherical, slightly basophilic bodies were seen attached on the free border of mucosal epithelial cells. In scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations, these organisms were identified as various developmental stages of Cryptosperidium. The species is considered to be C. parvum. Cryptosporidiosis was activated not only in Group I but also in Group II and III, indicating no protective effects of the antibacterial agents used, although the mice in Group II and III lived longer than those in Group I. The present study confirmed that Cryptosporidium exists in laboratory mice bred in Korea, and predicts possible occurrence of human cryptosporidiosis in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.175-177
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• 1988

Light-microscope studies of the coccidial organisms found in the bursa of Fabricius from chickens shelwng some specific signs were carried out, and the etiological agent was estimated as the parasite belonging to the Family Cryptosporiidae. The specific gross Pathological signs were intestinal hemorrhage and atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius and hyperplasia was associated with the presence of organisms attached to the epithelial cells lining the plicae of the bursa of Fabricius in the microscopical findings.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.693-699
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• 1993

In 1990, a retrospective examination of histologic data determined that 23 histology accessions at the Miwon Institute of Animal Science had a diagnosis of crytosporidiosis. These cases presented 10% of the 230 histologic examinations of broiler chicks of 23 cases, 18 cases were respiratory infection and 5 cases were bursal infection. The histologic findings of respiratory cryptosporidiosis were hyperplasia of mucosa epithelial cell, slightly swelling of epithelial cells, deciliation of tracheal epithelium, distribution of cryptosporidium organisms in epithelial surface of trachea and infiltration of plasma cells and lymphocytes in mucosa propria layer in trachea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2009

The seroprevalence of cryptosporidiosis was examined using patients' sera collected from hospitals located in 4 different areas of the Republic of Korea. ELISA was used to measure antibody titers against Cryptosporidium parvum antigens from a total of 2,394 serum samples, which were collected randomly from patients in local hospitals; 1)Chungbuk National University Hospital, 2) Konkuk University Hospital, 3) local hospitals in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do (province), 4) Jeonnam National University Hospital, from 2002 through 2003. Of the2,394 samples assayed, 34%, 26%, and 56% were positive for C. parvum-specific IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies, respectively, Positive IgG titers were most common in sera from Jeonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, and positive IgM titers were most common in sera from Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Chuncheonqbuk-do. The seropositivity was positively correlated with age for both the IgG and IgA antibodies but was negatively correlated with age for the IgM antibodies. Western blotting revealed that 92%, 83%, and 77% of sera positive for IgG, IgM, and IgA ELISA reacted with 27-kDa antigens, respectively. These results suggested that infection with Cryptosporidium in hospital patients occurs more commonly than previously reported in the Republic of Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2004

The present study was undertaken to investigate the infection status of Cryptosporidium parvum in the villagers and the reservoir hosts in several rural areas in Korea. A total 5,262 fecal samples were collected from the inhabitants residing at Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, and Gyeongsangnam-do between the dates of September, 2001 to June, 2002. In addition, 1,453 fecal samples were collected from livestock reared in Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do and Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. All the fecal smears were prepared by formalin-ether sedimentation, and examined by light microscopy after modified acid-fast staining. The overall positive rate of human cryptosporidiosis was 3.3%. Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do showed a 8.2% positive rate and appeared as the highest endemic area among the surveyed areas. Haman-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do showed a 0.4% positive rate and was the lowest endemic area. The positive rate of livestock infection in Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do was 94%, which was more than ten times higher than that of Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (9.3%). From these results, it was revealed that cryptosporidiosis was an endemic disease in some rural areas of Korea, and the livestock could be an important source of human infection.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 1995

Four Holstein calves 7-day-old were infected with C parvum oocysts for parasitological and pathological investigations of bovine cryptosporidiosis. Of those calf 1 was orally administered with $7{\times}10^6$ oocysts of C parvum isolated from a Korean mouse (VRI-CN91), and calf 2 with same number of C parvum oocysts provided by Washington State University(WSU). The rest (calf 3 and 4) were orally administered with $1{\times}10^8$ oocysts of VRI-CN91 strain. Calf 1 commenced to discharge oocysts in feces at days 6 post inoculation(PI), and it reached a peak $1.4{\times}10^7$ oocysts per gram of feces(OPG) on day 8 PI. Calf 2 commenced to discharge oocysts in feces at day 4 PI, and it reached a peak $3.75{\times}10^6$ OPG on day 7 PI. Calf 3 and 4 commenced to discharge oocysts in feces at day 3 and day 4 PI, and it reached a peak on day 7 PI (calf 3, $7.8{\times}10^6$ OPG; calf 4, $1.7{\times}10^6$ OPG). Clinically, the calves began to show mucoid-watery diarrhea at day 3 to 5 PI, and the sign lasted 5 to 7 days. Calf 2 died on day 9 PI with a severe dehydration. On necropsy the intestine was found to be congested and hemorrhagic. Protozoan oocysts were observed mainly in the ileum and occasionally in jejunum. The results in the present study indicate that the Korean isolate was pathogenic in calves.