Cryptosporidiosis - Cryptosporidium, an intestinal protozoan causes cryptosporidiosis.
C. parvum has been found to be responsible for extensive outbreaks. It lives in a wide variety of animals and excreted in their faeces as oocysts.
On ingestion by humans, oocysts release sporozoites that grow and infect enterocytes in the small bowel.
This results in a cholera like, watery diarrhoea. Incubation period is about 5-10 days.
Symptoms include anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain and weight loss.
