Series:

Water Research Foundation Report

1 total work

Cover of Improved in Vitro Culture of Cryptosporidium parvum
The goal of this project was to investigate methods, which promote growth of Cryptosporidium (C.) parvum in culture. The researchers tested the assumption that improved survival of host cells enhances growth of C. parvum. Although certain modifications to the culture methodology improved host cell survival, enhancing host cell survival was not always accompanied by an increase in parasite density in the cell monolayer. Some cultures grown on collagen or laminin showed improved parasite growth. However, this effect was not consistent, indicating that other variables affect parasite growth. C. parvum was more prevalent in cells in the mitotic cycle than in non-dividing cells. This is consistent with the absence of certain biosynthetic pathways in C. parvum, and suggests that dividing cells may be more favorable to parasite development. Although current culture methods enable the detection of infectious Cryptosporidium oocysts, limited parasite growth reduces the sensitivity of the assay, making it necessary to apply sophisticated methods for the detection of the intracellular parasites. This study identified methods that slightly improve growth of Cryptosporidium in culture and also highlighted methods that have no effect. This report is available only as a pay-per-view item.