This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ruecker, N. J.
Right arrow Articles by Neumann, N. F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ruecker, N. J.
Right arrow Articles by Neumann, N. F.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Ruecker, N. J.
Right arrow Articles by Neumann, N. F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2007, p. 3945-3957, Vol. 73, No. 12
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02788-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Tracking Host Sources of Cryptosporidium spp. in Raw Water for Improved Health Risk Assessment{triangledown}

Norma J. Ruecker,1,2 Shannon L. Braithwaite,2 Edward Topp,3 Thomas Edge,4 David R. Lapen,5 Graham Wilkes,5 Will Robertson,6 Diane Medeiros,6 Christoph W. Sensen,7 and Norman F. Neumann1,2*

Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Calgary, Alberta, Canada,1 Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada,2 Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, Ontario, Canada,3 National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario, Canada,4 Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,5 Water Quality and Health Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,6 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sun Center of Excellence for Visual Genomics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada7

Received 29 November 2006/ Accepted 23 April 2007

Recent molecular evidence suggests that different species and/or genotypes of Cryptosporidium display strong host specificity, altering our perceptions regarding the zoonotic potential of this parasite. Molecular forensic profiling of the small-subunit rRNA gene from oocysts enumerated on microscope slides by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency method 1623 was used to identify the range and prevalence of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in the South Nation watershed in Ontario, Canada. Fourteen sites within the watershed were monitored weekly for 10 weeks to assess the occurrence, molecular composition, and host sources of Cryptosporidium parasites impacting water within the region. Cryptosporidium andersoni, Cryptosporidium muskrat genotype II, Cryptosporidium cervine genotype, C. baileyi, C. parvum, Cryptosporidium muskrat genotype I, the Cryptosporidium fox genotype, genotype W1, and genotype W12 were detected in the watershed. The molecular composition of the Cryptosporidium parasites, supported by general land use analysis, indicated that mature cattle were likely the main source of contamination of the watershed. Deer, muskrats, voles, birds, and other wildlife species, in addition to sewage (human or agricultural) may also potentially impact water quality within the study area. Source water protection studies that use land use analysis with molecular genotyping of Cryptosporidium parasites may provide a more robust source-tracking tool to characterize fecal impacts in a watershed. Moreover, the information is vital for assessing environmental and human health risks posed by water contaminated with zoonotic and/or anthroponotic forms of Cryptosporidium.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), 3030 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4W4. Phone: (403) 944-1236. Fax: (403) 283-0142. E-mail: n.neumann{at}provlab.ab.ca

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 4 May 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2007, p. 3945-3957, Vol. 73, No. 12
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02788-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Xiao, L. (2009). Overview of Cryptosporidium Presentations at the 10th International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists. Eukaryot Cell 8: 429-436 [Full Text]  
  • Yang, W., Chen, P., Villegas, E. N., Landy, R. B., Kanetsky, C., Cama, V., Dearen, T., Schultz, C. L., Orndorff, K. G., Prelewicz, G. J., Brown, M. H., Young, K. R., Xiao, L. (2008). Cryptosporidium Source Tracking in the Potomac River Watershed. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 6495-6504 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lyautey, E., Lapen, D. R., Wilkes, G., McCleary, K., Pagotto, F., Tyler, K., Hartmann, A., Piveteau, P., Rieu, A., Robertson, W. J., Medeiros, D. T., Edge, T. A., Gannon, V., Topp, E. (2007). Distribution and Characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates from Surface Waters of the South Nation River Watershed, Ontario, Canada. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5401-5410 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»