Describing new species of Cryptosporidium in fish
Water is increasingly recognised as an important vehicle for transmission of Cryptosporidium. The
oocyst is environmentally stable and resistant to inactivation by chlorine at doses commonly used in
drinking water treatment.
Cryptosporidium can survive for long periods in both freshwater and saltwater and viable humaninfectious oocysts have been recovered from several bivalve species. Little is known about the
prevalence, geographical distribution of species of Cryptosporidium infecting fish and what the potential
health implications are. Preliminary analysis has identified human-infectious genotypes as well as
several novel species. This project will focus on the use of microscopy, PCR, sequencing and
phylogenetic analysis to characterise these novel genotypes as valid species.
For more information on the above projects contact:
A/Prof. Una Ryan
Room 3.45
Tel: 9360 2482
Email: Una.Ryan@murdoch.edu.au