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Cryptosporidium parvum
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<p><i>Cryptosporidium parvum</i> is one of several species that cause <a href="/facts/Cryptosporidiosis/5lPKK5m7">cryptosporidiosis</a>, a <a href="/facts/Parasitic_disease/DU94HYrL">parasitic disease</a> of the <a href="/facts/Mammal/phSwTzBo">mammalian</a> <a href="/facts/Intestine/nK2zwqBS">intestinal tract</a>. </p><p>Primary symptoms of <i>C. parvum</i> infection are acute, watery, and nonbloody <a href="/facts/Diarrhea/6TBHaRdA">diarrhea</a>. <i>C. parvum</i> infection is of particular concern in <a href="/facts/Immunocompromised/CIEujXmc">immunocompromised</a> patients, where diarrhea can reach 10–15 times per day. Other symptoms may include <a href="/facts/Anorexia_(symptom)/G7RsaXp9">anorexia</a>, <a href="/facts/Nausea/dyhkcbeD">nausea</a>/<a href="/facts/Vomiting/R2vQkHqV">vomiting</a>, and <a href="/facts/Abdomen/HcTzDFL0">abdominal</a> pain. Extra-intestinal sites include the lung, liver, and gall bladder, where it causes respiratory <a href="/facts/Cryptosporidiosis/5lPKK5m7">cryptosporidiosis</a>, hepatitis, and <a href="/facts/Cholecystitis/7XK7kF9S">cholecystitis</a>, respectively. </p><p>Infection is caused by ingestion of <a href="/facts/Sporulate/6qDRdcrs">sporulated</a> <a href="/facts/Oocyst/KrHMgvLq">oocysts</a> transmitted by the faecal-oral route. In healthy human hosts, the median infective dose is 132 oocysts. The general <a href="/facts/Cryptosporidium/HLSpRu7I"><i>C. parvum</i> lifecycle</a> is shared by other members of the genus. Invasion of the apical tip of <a href="/facts/Ileal/rCWGkFuf">ileal</a> <a href="/facts/Enterocyte/NfAsbB9s">enterocytes</a> by <a href="/facts/Sporozoite/KrHMgvLq">sporozoites</a> and <a href="/facts/Merozoite/KrHMgvLq">merozoites</a> causes pathology seen in the disease. </p><p>Infection is generally <a href="/facts/Self-limiting_(biology)/pREwumJv">self-limiting</a> in immunocompetent people. In <a href="/facts/Immunocompromised/CIEujXmc">immunocompromised</a> patients, such as those with <a href="/facts/AIDS/RqLIEMuJ">AIDS</a> or those undergoing <a href="/facts/Immunosuppressive_therapy/22GHUHkr">immunosuppressive therapy</a>, infection may not be self-limiting, leading to dehydration and, in severe cases, death. </p>