Coccidia Part 1

(intestinal apicomplexans)

Cryptosporidium
parvum
(know terms on this slide)

Grouped by Infection Site and Motility

Parasitic
Protozoa Apicomplexa Flagellates
(sg =Alveolates) (sg = Excavates)

blood/ Blood apicomplexa (piroplasms) Hemoflagellates

tissue Babesia spp. Trypanosoma cruzi
Cytauxzoon felis Leishmania infantum

systemic Systemic apicomplexa (coccidia)

Toxoplasma gondii Trypanosoma cruzi
Neospora caninum Leishmania infantum
Sarcocystis spp.

intestines Intestinal apicomplexan (coccidia) Mucoflagellates

Cryptosporidium parvum Tritrichomonas foetus

Eimeria spp. Tritrichomonas blagburni

Cystoisospora spp. Giardia spp.
 Apicomplexan:
Select Characteristics
• Intracellular with apical complex
• Gliding motility
• Life cycle alternates b/w sexual and
asexual reproduction
• Many morphological stages =
“zoites” and “-onts”
Apicomplexan: Terms
• Sporozoite = infective stage; spore-like cells
• Merozoite = sporozoite that is inside host cell, will start asexual replication
merozoite = schizozoite (ski-zō-zōite)
• Some other “-zoites” terms
Tachyzoite = fast growing zoite & Bradyzoite = slow growing zoite
•
Merogony = merozoite asexual replication in host cells
merogony = schizogony (ski-zog-ō-ne)
• Meronts = a bag of merozoites
meront = schizont (skizont) Meront

Sporozoite
Meronts (schizonts),
Merozoite Merogony containing many
infects
(inside host cell) (asexual replication) Merozoites (schizozoites)
host cell
Apicomplexan: Replication
Asexual replication (this is how the tissue damage in the host occurs)
Merogony (schizogony) → replication of merozoites

Sporogony (sporulation) → replication within the oocyst resulting in

sporozoites

Sexual replication (this is how oocysts are made)

Gametogony→ merozoite develops into a gamete
microgamete = male
macrogamete = female

Fertilization→ microgamete fertilizes a macrogamete,

which develops into a zygote then an oocyst
 Animated Slide Apicomplexan: General Life Cycle

male (microgametes) unsporulated

female (macrogametes) oocyst
sexual fertilization
gametes zygotes → oocysts
sporogony (sporulation)
gamont
(bag of gametes) sporulated
oocyst
gametogony sporocysts
sporozoites
merozoites sporozoites (infective)
Merogony
asexual replication
inside host
host cell
Meront
(bag of merozoites)
 Infective
sporozoites

Cryptosporidium parvum
• Intestinal pathogen of calves

• C. parvum has very low host specificity!

• There are many Cryptosporidium spp. that are more host specific (C. ryanae, C.
bovis, C. canis, C. felis etc)
 Learning Objectives: Cryptosporidium parvum
1. Morphology: know that they are small, have 4 sporozoites
2. Life cycle: know direct life cycle, fecal-oral, where sporulation occurs and why
that is important
3. Transmission and Dissemination: sporulated oocysts are ingested; understand
autoinfection and the implications of oocysts having a thin vs thick wall.
4. Pathogenesis: know the primary method of cell destruction and where it occurs.
5. Clinical signs: know the main clinical signs.
6. Diagnosis: know the main method of diagnosis.
7. Treatment: Understand the most effective and important way to treat diarrhea in
calves
8. Control: Understand best way to control C. parvum, prevent diesease and how
long oocysts are viable for in the environment.
9. Epidemiology: Know the 4 common risk factors for calves
10. Zoonosis: understand C. parvum is highly zoonotic and the primary way most
people are infected.
 Morphology: C. parvum
infective
sporozoite

Oocyte
w/ 4 sporozoites

“superficial”
location
in the
enterocyte

5-8 um (very small)

thick or thin walls

 FYI Morphology: C. parvum PV
parasitophorous vacuole (PV)
feeder organelle (FO)
residual body (RB)
merozoites (Mz)

The enterocyte microvilli

immediately adjacent to the parasite
are typically elongated.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3368497/
http://parasite.org.au/pugh-collection/
SEM’s of Crypto

FYI
Direct life cycle

Zoonotic!
Life Cycle:
C. parvum zygote
oocyst

macrogametes
merozoites microgametes
Gametogony
fertilization

start here

Merogony merozoites

small intestines
 Life Cycle: C. parvum
Transmission
◦ Direct life cycle – fecal-oral, ingestion of sporulated oocyst
Invasion
◦ Sporocysts excyst from oocyst and invade microvillus border of enterocyte
Asexual reproduction (small intestines: Ileum, less in cecum & colon)
◦ Merogony (schizogony)

Sexual reproduction
• Final generation of merozoites infect other enterocytes and undergo gametogony
(production of gametes)

• Fertilization – a microgamete fuses with a macrogamete eventually forming an oocyte

 Life Cycle: C. parvum
Sporogony (= Sporulation) – oocyst forms 4 sporozoites
◦ Sporulation occurs within the host gut = oocyst immediately infectious.
Dissemination
◦ Thin-walled Oocysts
◦ Autoinfection: oocysts have thin walls and excyst within the same host
◦ Normal immune system → low grade chronic pathology (diarrhea)
◦ Immunocompromised → hyperinfection / severe pathology / mortality.

◦ Thick-walled Oocysts
◦ Exit the host in the feces
◦ Contaminate the environment and transmission to the next host.
◦ Infectious when passed
 C. parvum Pathogenesis → Watery Diarrhea
Direct damage (inside microvilli)
◦ SI villus atrophy and dysfunction
↓ surface area
↓ absorption
◦ Crypt hyperplasia causes https://www.askjpc.org/wsco/wsc/wsc96/96wsc01.htm

↑ secretory activity Healthy Crypto

Indirect damage
◦ Inflammation
↑ permeability, with loss of fluids into the gut lumen.
Image: Gookin, Jody L., Shila K. Nordone, and Robert A. Argenzio. "Host responses to Cryptosporidium infection." Journal of veterinary internal medicine 16.1 (2002): 12-21.
 Clinical Disease: C. parvum
Mild to severe watery diarrhea

◦ usually in neonatal calves (1-2 weeks)

◦ “Calf Scours”
◦ Most cases are self-limiting (2-3 days)
http://www.vetserviceswairarapa.co.nz/news/article/16/calf
-scours-feeder-calf-rearing/ ◦ dehydration, weight loss, and emaciation.
◦ Severe / lethal in immunodeficient hosts
◦ Also see clinical disease in small ruminants
Clinical Disease:
C. parvum

“Calf Scours”

http://calfcare.ca/calf-care-corner/feeding-to-fight-disease/ http://coloradodisasterhelp.colostate.edu/prefair/disease/d
z/Cryptosporidiosis.html
Differential Diagnoses
“Calf Scours”

Cryptosporidium 7-16 days

Coccidia (e.g. Eimeria) 21+ days
Rotavirus
Coronavirus
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)
Salmonella
Clostridium
E.coli
Nutritional causes
Know the age difference between
Crypto and Eimeria infections
(other differentials are FYI)

http://crystalcreeknatural.com/causes-of-calf-scours-based-on-age-of-onset/ FYI: this chart

 Diagnosis: C. parvum
Fecal Float Centrifugation
◦ very small oocysts
yeast
◦ don’t confuse with yeast

Thin fecal smear with special staining

◦ acid fast stains

Molecular diagnostics
◦ Fluorescent antibodies bind oocysts, ELISA, PCR

C. parvum

Use concentrated sucrose for fecal float https://mcdinternational.org

 Diagnosis: C. parvum
Acid-fast Stain Wet Mounts Fluorescent stain

https://mcdinternational.org

http://www.imgrum.org/media/1000074980669288494_
423165795

https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/cryptosporidiosis/
 Treatment: C. parvum
•Some drugs are only suppressive (Paromomycin, Azithromycin, etc.)
•Coccidiostats don’t work
•Infection is usually self-limiting in immunocompetent hosts (only need supportive
care)
• Fluid-replacement therapy for the dehydration caused by the diarrhea is the
main way to treat C. parvum.
Electrolyte solution
Allow calf to feed on milk
FYI: Dehydration
Decisions

Oral and IV fluid replacement decisions made based

https://www.farmosan.com/en/ruminants/beef-farming/calf-rearing/sco
urs/
on severity of dehydration.

FY
Control: C. parvum

• Sanitation and hygiene

• Isolation/separation (sick/young)
◦ Hutch system for dairy calves
• Colostrum
• Oocysts are viable for months unless exposed to:
• extreme temps (0°C or <65 °C), drying
• disinfectants (5% ammonia, 3-6% H2O2 or 10% formaldehyde)
• No Vaccines Available
Calf hutches
Epidemiology
Disease is primarily in neonatal calves (and small ruminants)
Concurrent infections with rotavirus & coronavirus tends to make disease
worse, than with Crypto alone.

Risk factors for calf scours:

1. Dirty or contaminated environments
2. Stress factors
3. Housing sick calves with healthy calves
4. Not enough or low-quality colostrum
 Zoonosis: C. parvum (C. hominis in humans, too)
Highly zoonotic
Transmission:
◦ Predominantly human-to-human (anthroponotic)
◦ Direct contact with animals
◦ Contamination of drinking water
◦ Food-borne outbreaks
◦ Farm workers at high risk

Very dangerous in the

immunocompromised.
Resistant to chlorine
 Zoonosis: C. parvum
Levine, Levy, Walker, Crittenden. 1988.
Cryptosporidiosis in veterinary students.
JAVMA. 193: 1413-1414.

Abstract: Cryptosporidiosis was diagnosed in 10 veterinary students. Exposure to the pathogen was
associated with direct contact with infected calves and contact with contaminated materials. Affected
students had fever (50%), headache (50%), nausea (70%), diarrhea (80%), and vomiting (40%). Clinical signs
persisted for 30 hours to 16 days after the onset of clinical signs of disease. Although one student required
hospitalization, the remaining students recovered without treatment.

FYI
 In-Class Discussion
A 12-day old calf is showing severe scours.
Treatment plan?

Zoonotic concerns?

What if this calf was 1

month old??
 Have Questions?
barbara_qurollo@ncsu.edu

Illustration by Allie Brosh, http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/