We aimed to assess the risks of
China ; Cryptosporidiosis/microbiology* ; Cryptosporidium/isolation & purification* ; Giardia/isolation & purification* ; Giardiasis/microbiology* ; Humans ; Risk Assessment ; Water Microbiology ; Water Supply/statistics & numerical data*

Calf diarrhea caused by infectious agents is associated with economic losses in the cattle industry. The purpose of this study was to identify the causative agents and epidemiological characteristics of diarrhea in Korean native calves (KNC). In total, 207 diarrheal KNC aged less than 7 months were investigated. Fecal samples collected from the rectum were examined for causative agents using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or real-time PCR and the number of oocysts were counted. Fourteen causative agents were detected from 164 of the 207 diarrheal KNC. Rotavirus was the most common agent (34.8%), followed by Eimeria spp. (31.7%), Escherichia coli (22.0%), Giardia spp. (14.0%), Clostridium difficile (9.8%), bovine viral diarrhea virus (8.5%), coronavirus (7.9%), Cryptosporidium spp. (7.3%), torovirus (6.7%), parvovirus (5.5%), norovirus (4.9%), kobuvirus (1.8%), adenovirus (1.2%), and Salmonella spp. (0.6%). About 95 (57.9%) of 164 calves were infected with a single causative agent and 42.1% were infected by multiple agents. No significant difference was observed in mortality between calves infected with a single agent and multiple agents. The occurrence of diarrhea caused by rotavirus, Eimeria spp., kobuvirus, and Giardia spp. was significantly different based on onset age, and the prevalence of diarrhea caused by rotavirus or C. difficile was significantly different between seasons. This study help the understanding of KNC diarrhea for the development of an effective strategy for disease prevention and control, especially in Eastern provinces of South Korea.
Adenoviridae ; Age of Onset ; Animals ; Cattle ; Clostridium difficile ; Coronavirus ; Cryptosporidium ; Diarrhea ; Eimeria ; Epidemiology ; Escherichia coli ; Giardia ; Kobuvirus ; Korea ; Mortality ; Norovirus ; Oocysts ; Parvovirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rectum ; Rotavirus ; Salmonella ; Seasons ; Torovirus

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with intestinal parasites in the population of San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, Mexico. METHODS: A total of 277 samples from 104 participants were analysed using direct smear, flotation, formaldehyde/ethyl acetate, and modified Kinyoun’s acid-fast stain methods. The Graham method was applied only for samples from children under 12 years of age for the diagnosis of Enterobius vermicularis. RESULTS: The prevalence of parasite infections in the study population was 77.9% including: Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii/E. bangladeshi (37.5%), Giardia intestinalis (11.5%); commensals: Endolimax nana (44.2%), Entamoeba coli (27.9%), Chilomastix mesnili (6.7%) and Iodamoeba bütschlii, (2.9%); emerging intestinal protozoans: Blastocystis spp. (49%), Cryptosporidium spp. (7.7%) and Cyclospora cayetanensis (2.9%); and helminths: Enterobius vermicularis (18.3%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (5.8%). The results also showed that 58.64% of the studied population presented polyparasitism. A significant association was found between protozoan infections and housewives, and houses that were not built with concrete ceilings, brick walls and cement floors (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Polyparasitism was observed in over half the study population. The most prevalent parasite was Blastocystis spp, whilst the prevalence of helminths was less than that of protozoans. The risk factors for infection to intestinal parasites were being a housewife and not having solid brick, cement and concrete materials for house construction.
Adult ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; Blastocystis ; Child ; Cryptosporidium ; Cyclospora ; Diagnosis ; Endolimax ; Entamoeba ; Enterobius ; Giardia lamblia ; Helminths ; Humans ; Methods ; Mexico ; Parasites ; Prevalence ; Protozoan Infections ; Retortamonadidae ; Risk Factors

This study examined complex infections with various enteropathogens and the genetic diversity of bovine norovirus (BNoV) in 932 fecal samples from diarrheic calves in South Korea. Overall, seventeen (1.8%) of the samples tested positive for BNoV following RT-PCR examination. All BNoV-positive samples were co-infected with other intestinal pathogens, including bovine Rotavirus, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Escherichia coli. The genetic diversity of the BNoVs shared high nucleotide identity (98.1–99.5%) and amino acid homology (93.5–98.1%) with genotype 2 BNoV (GIII.2) strains. In conclusion, BNoV infections with GIII genotypes were detected in complex infections of diarrheic calves in South Korea.
Cryptosporidium ; Diarrhea ; Escherichia coli ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Giardia ; Korea ; Norovirus ; Rotavirus

Cryptosporidium is a common intestinal protozoan that can lead to diarrhea in humans and dogs. The predominant species of infection are C. hominis and C. parvum in humans, and C. canis in dogs. However, C. canis can infect immunocompromised humans. Considering the close contact with humans, dogs have the potential to be reservoirs for human cryptosporidiosis. Breeding kennels are the major supply source of puppies for pet shops. The present study is to determine the molecular prevalence and characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. found in breeding kennel dogs. A total of 314 fecal samples were collected from young and adult dogs kept in 5 breeding kennels. A polymerase chain reaction targeting the small subunit rRNA gene was employed for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. To determine the species, the DNA sequences were compared to GenBank data. Overall, 21.0% of the fecal samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. infection. Cryptosporidium spp. was detected in all 5 facilities. A sequencing analysis demonstrated that all isolates shared 99–100% similarity with C. canis. The results suggest that Cryptosporidium spp. infection is present at a high-level in breeding kennel dogs. However, because dominant species in this survey was C. canis, the importance of breeding kennel dogs as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium spp. transmission to humans is likely to be low in Japan.
Adult ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Breeding ; Cryptosporidiosis ; Cryptosporidium ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Diarrhea ; Dogs ; Genes, rRNA ; Humans ; Japan ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence

Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis are the main diarrhea-causing parasitic pathogens; however, their prevalence in Korea is unknown. Here, we conducted a survey to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of these 2 pathogens causing acute diarrhea in 8,571 patients hospitalized in 17 Regional Institute of Health Environment sites in Korea, during 2013–2016. C. parvum and G. duodenalis were detected and genotyped by nested PCR, and the isolate were molecularly characterized by sequencing the glycoprotein 60 (Gp60) and β-giardin genes, respectively. The overall prevalence of C. parvum and G. duodenalis was 0.37% (n=32) and 0.55% (n=47), respectively, and both pathogens were more prevalent in children under 9 years old. Molecular epidemiological analysis showed that the C. parvum isolates belonged to the IIa family and were subtyped as IIaA13G2R1, IIaA14G2R1, IIaA15G2R1, and IIaA18G3R1. Analysis of the β-giardin gene fragment from G. duodenalis showed that all positive strains belong to assemblage A. This is the first report on the molecular epidemiology and subtyping of C. parvum and G. duodenalis in such a large number of diarrheal patients in Korea. These results highlight the need for continuous monitoring of these zoonotic pathogens and provide a basis for implementing control and prevention strategies. Further, the results might be useful for epidemiological investigation of the source of outbreak.
Child ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Cryptosporidium ; Diarrhea ; Genotype ; Giardia lamblia ; Giardia ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Korea ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence

Cryptosporidiosis ; drug therapy ; Cryptosporidium ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Parasitic Sensitivity Tests ; Phytotherapy ; Salicylates ; chemistry ; therapeutic use

The gastrointestinal tract is a vast reservoir for internal microbiota; it is exposed directly to various externally introduced microbes, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and others. In immune-compromised conditions, the gastrointestinal tract is frequently affected by infectious diseases that seldom manifest clinically in immune-competent hosts. Immune-compromised conditions result from a variety of reasons, including human immunodeficiency virus infection, anti-cancer chemo-radiotherapy, immune suppressive therapy for autoimmune diseases, and organ transplantations. The stomach is a relatively rare site for opportunistic infections in immune-compromised patients compared to the esophagus and colon, where esophagitis and colitis develop frequently and cause significant clinical consequences. Helicobacter pylori infection is majorly involved in gastric malfunctioning in immune-compromised patients, followed by cytomegalovirus infection. Infections by Cryptosporidium, Mycobacterium avium complex, histoplasmosis, leishmaniasis, aspergillosis, or treponema, have been reported; however, gastric involvement of these agents is extremely rare. This review discusses the general aspects and recent reports on gastric infection in immune-compromised patients.
Aspergillosis ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Bacteria ; Colitis ; Colon ; Communicable Diseases ; Cryptosporidium ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; Esophagitis ; Esophagus ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Helicobacter pylori ; Histoplasmosis ; HIV ; Humans ; Leishmaniasis ; Microbiota ; Mycobacterium avium Complex ; Opportunistic Infections ; Organ Transplantation ; Parasites ; Stomach ; Transplants ; Treponema

Annual proficiency surveys were conducted in March, May, and August of 2017 as the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service. Overall, four image samples (MPI-17-01, MPI-17-02, MPI-17-03, MPI-17-04) in the first trial, three image samples (MPI-17-05, MPI-17-06 , MPI-17-07) in the second trial, and a slide specimen (MPS-17-01) using parasite samples in the third trial were distributed to participating institutions. The first and second trial specimens were prepared by photographing slides made of formalin-ether concentrate of positive samples stored for educational purposes. The slide distributed in the third trial was prepared using cellophane tape, which was stored after diagnosis of the patients infected with Enterobius vermicularis . There were 191 participating institutions in the first, 204 in the second, and 212 in the third trial. The correct identification rates were 27.2% for MPI-17-01 Diphyllobothrium species (sp.), 96.6% for MPI-17-02 no parasite, 67.5% for MPI-17-03 Metagonimus yokogawai , 71.2% for MPI-17-04 Balantidium coli , 99.0% for MPI-17-05 Taenia sp., 99.0% for MPI-17-06 Trichuris trichiura , 92.7% for MPI-17-07 Cryptosporidium sp., and 96.7% for MPS-17-01 E. vermicularis . The current external quality assessment for clinical parasitology was performed using image samples and standard slides. Surveys of parasitic infections should be accompanied by continuous education on various parasitic infections, for which there was lack of experience of inspection in clinical laboratories. In the future, it will be necessary to establish a standard material using parasitic samples, and ultimately to conduct a survey on whole series of tests for the diagnosis of parasitic diseases.
Balantidium ; Cellophane ; Cryptosporidium ; Diagnosis ; Diphyllobothrium ; Education ; Enterobius ; Heterophyidae ; Humans ; Korea* ; Parasites ; Parasitic Diseases ; Parasitology* ; Quality Control ; Taenia ; Trichuris

Waterborne parasitic protozoa, particularly Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium spp., are common causes of diarrhea and gastroenteritis worldwide. The most frequently identified source of infestation is water, and exposure involves either drinking water or recreation in swimming pools or natural bodies of water. In practice, studies on Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in surface water are challenging owing to the low concentrations of these microorganisms because of dilution. In this study, a 3-year monitoring of Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and Naegleria fowleri was conducted from August 2014 to June 2016 at 5 surface water sites including 2 lakes, 1 river, and 2 water intake plants. A total of 50 water samples of 40 L were examined. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 22% of samples and Giardia cysts in 32%. Water at the 5 sampling sites was all contaminated with Cryptosporidium oocysts (0–36/L), Giardia cysts (0–39/L), or both. The geometric mean concentrations of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were 1.14 oocysts/L and 4.62 cysts/L, respectively. Thus, effective monitoring plans must take into account the spatial and temporal parameters of contamination because they affect the prevalence and distribution of these protozoan cysts in local water resources.
Cryptosporidium ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Diarrhea ; Drinking ; Drinking Water ; Gastroenteritis ; Giardia ; Giardia lamblia ; Lakes ; Naegleria fowleri ; Oocysts ; Prevalence ; Recreation ; Rivers ; Swimming Pools ; Water Resources ; Water