>To: parasite at net.bio.net>From: JarmeySwan at bchm.unp.ac.za (Claire.Jarmey(c)Swan)
>Subject: giardia and cryptosporidium
>Date: Thu, 11 Aug 1994 08:03:13 GMT
>>>I am interested in statistics of giardia and cryptosporidium .
>Also methods
>of concentration and detection . Please mail any ideas. Thanks
>> Is your interest in concentrating and analysing infected faecal
samples or environmental samples?. Generally identification from
faecal samples is not too much of a problem, and I see other people
have responded with refs for this. The problem with environmental
detection of these organisms is that they occur in very low numbers
in the environment (which can still be a significant health problem)
and therefore large volumes of water have to be analysed.We
routinely analyse environmental water samples for Crytposporidium
and Giardia by flow cytometry, using flocculation to concentrate
samples. We can easily concentrate 10litre samples by this method,
and find the flow cytometry detection method very efficient. I have
given references below for our methods. Other methods which are in
general use are concentration by filtration, and analysis by
epifluorescent microscopy. References for these methods may be
found in the papers given below. There are several immunodiagnostic
kits around which work well for both diagnosis in feacal samples and
for detection in water. The flow cytometry method requires cell
sorting and verification by microscopy, but samples are much easier
to interpret after sorting. Please let us know if you have trouble
getting hold of these references, and we will send them.
Yours,
Alan Champion, Graham Vesey,
Australian Environmental Flow Cytometry Group
MUCAB, School of Biological Sciences
Macquarie University.
Refs: Vesey, G., Slade, J. S., Byrne, M., Shepard, K. and Fricker,
C. R. 1993a. A new method for the concentration of Cryptosporidium
oocysts from water. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 75:82-86.
Vesey, G., Slade, J. S., Byrne, M., Shepard, K. Dennis, P. J., and
Fricker, C. R. 1993b. Routine monitoring of Cryptosporidium oocysts
in water using flow cytometry. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 75:87-90.
Vesey, G., Hutton, P. E., Champion, A. C., Ashbolt, N. J.,
Williams, K. L., Warton, A., and Veal, D. A. 1994. Application of
flow cytometric methods for the routine detection of
Cryptosporidium and Giardia in water. Cytometry, 16:1-6.Alan Champion,
School of Biological Sciences,
Macquarie University,
Sydney, Australia, 2109
Phone:(02) 850-8219
Fax: (02) 850-8174
