Professor Stavros Malas and Clinical Associate Professor Daphne Mavrides are two of the authors of a recent study published in Microorganisms entitled ‘High Occurrence of Zoonotic Subtypes of Cryptosporidium parvum in Cypriot Dairy Farms.’
Professor Malas said “This is the first study to investigate Cryptosporidium occurrences in the dairy farms of Cyprus. Cryptosporidium is a parasite that causes a diarrhoeal illness called cryptosporidiosis. It lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals and an infected individual sheds Cryptosporidium parasites in their stools. Our study revealed a high occurrence (90%) of Cryptosporidium parvum in dairy calves. Four out of the five subtypes of Cryptosporidium parvum identified were zoonotic and it is therefore considered a public health risk to humans. This brings into question the circulation of the various subtypes not only in calves, but also in human and other animal hosts as well as the environment.”
Dr Mavrides added “It is worth noting that Cyprus imports cattle from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands for both breeding and production purposes. Hence, screening these animals for Cryptosporidium would help track the circulation and introduction of various subtypes across the different countries.”
While this study represents a first step in determining Cryptosporidium burdens in cattle in Cyprus, significant literature gaps on the prevalence, transmission dynamics, sources of infection and effective interventions remain, highlighting the need for a One Health approach in the immediate future.