The apicomplexan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. are the causative agents of a severe diarrhoeal disease called cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium species are capable of infecting a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans and livestock. In cattle, cryptosporidiosis is now one of the most important causes of neonatal scour globally, either as a sole agent or co-infecting with other pathogens. Cryptosporidiosis is considered globally endemic, with a prevalence of Cryptosporidium in stool samples from 13% to 93% in European cattle.

This disease has a significant economic burden, with costs associated with veterinary diagnosis and medication, animal rearing, and supplemental nutrition. It is also associated with a reduced long-term growth rate in calves, causing huge economic losses in the livestock industry. Moreover, cattle act as a zoonotic reservoir for Cryptosporidium parvum, a species that is capable of infecting humans as well. As such, monitoring the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle is important due to the public health risk and financial burden the clinical disease causes.

In a recent publication, second year SoCoBio student Rachel Buchanan conducted a systematic meta-analysis of papers reporting on Cryptosporidium prevalence in cattle in order to pinpoint key regions where prevalence is high, and also regions with limited data where more efforts are needed to monitor the spread of the parasite.

Read the publication in full: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100264