ABSTRACT
Organisms of Cryptosporidium sp. were recognized and described in rodent species. The increased duration of infection in immunodeficient nude mice parallels the observations of persistent cryptosporidiosis in immunodeficient humans and horses. The pathogenicity of Cryptosporidium parvum for lambs, calves, and humans has prompted assessment of compounds and protocols for prevention and control of cryptosporidiosis. An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in a colony of guinea pigs was characterized by clinical signs including diarrhea, wasting, abdominal distention, and 2 to 5% mortality. Cryptosporidiosis was noted as a natural infection in a weanling Golden hamster with concurrent lesions of proliferative ileitis. The features of experimental cryptosporidiosis were described for neonatal and adult Syrian golden hamsters inoculated with Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts prepared from calf feces. The report of C. parvum infection in mice described organisms in the apical borders of intestinal epithelial cells distributed from the proximal duodenum throughout the small intestine, without significant tissue injury or host inflammatory cell response.
