Panagiotis Karanis
University of Cologne, Germany
Qinghai University, China
Title: Cryptosporidium: Current achievements and research needs
Biography
Biography: Panagiotis Karanis
Abstract
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview in the evolution of research in the field of Cryptosporidium and it consists of two parts: a) Developing strategies to increase the detection methods for Cryptosporidium, and b) Evolution and achievements in developing the in vitro axenic culture system to accelerate the development of new therapies for Cryptosporidium infections. The review is intended to stimulate research leading to development of future improvements and further developments in water monitoring methodology for Giardia, Cryptosporidium and other potentially waterborne protozoan parasites. The objective of generating more consistent and reliable data should lead to better understanding of the occurrence, transport, and fate of these organisms in water. Cryptosporidium poses the biggest threat to the water industry as, initially, many outbreaks were caused by this ‘now well known’ parasite which penetrated multi-barrier water treatment systems that were thought to be effective in providing ‘safe’ drinking water (Karanis et al. 2007; Baldursson and Karanis, 2011).rnrnThe second part of the presentation report findings for culturing Cryptosporidium in axenic cultures and the development of this pathogen in cultivations system during recent years, research efforts and achievements. Due to a historical lack of in vitro axenic culture system for both basic and applied research in Cryptosporidium, particularly for drugs development and therapy to cure pediatric disease, this task is behind many others in available tools for research.rnRegarding the current stage of the in vitro cultivation either in axenic culture system, more information on Cryptosporidium’s developmental biology has been be achieved by focusing on the ability of Cryptosporidium to grow under different conditions in the laboratory.rnImproved methods in both clinical and environmental settings are required to maximize public health surveillance, while the development of the standard culture system it will provide better insight into the life cycle and developmental biology of Cryptosporidium and provide the platform for strategies such as vaccines and therapeutics, with the potential to protect against the acquisition of cryptosporidiosis.
A ‘new era’ in the research field of Cryptosporidium research is the horizont.