Cryptosporidium: The Analytical Challenge

These are the proceedings of two meetings organized by the Water Chemistry Forum and the Royal Society of Chemistry, together with the Environment and Water Group of the Society of Chemical Industry, the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Cryptosporidium, in its various forms, is a widely recognised cause of outbreaks of waterborne disease. Regulatory bodies worldwide are increasingly requiring the development of "fit-for-purpose" detection methods for this protozoan parasite, but analysis is often problematic. Bringing together international academic and industry-based experts, this book provides a comprehensive review of analytical techniques for the detection of Cryptosporidium, as well as looking at likely future developments. In particular, the issues of species identification and oocyst viability are addressed. Quality assurance issues and potential problems associated with the new Cryptosporidium regulations are also highlighted. The extent of the perceived problems and the regulatory backdrop against which the analysis must be carried out are also discussed.

Table of Contents:

Cryptosporidium: The Analytical Challenge;
Molecular Epidemiology and Systematics of Cryptosporidium parvum;
Molecular and Phenotypic Analysis of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts of Human and Animal Origin;
Complying with the New Cryptosporidium Regulations;
Cryptosporidiosis in Healthy Adult Volunteers;
Trial of a Method for Continuous Monitoring of the Concentration of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in Treated Drinking Water for Regulatory Purposes;
A Dielectrophoresis System for Rapid Analysis of Cryptosporidium parvum;
A Review of Methods for Assessing the Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum Using In-vitro Cell Culture;
Applications of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry in the Analysis of Cryptosporidium;
Some Observations on Factors which Affect Recovery Efficiency in Cryptosporidium Analysis;
Development of a Novel Method for the Capture, Recovery and Analysis of Cryptosporidium Oocysts from High Water Samples;
The Experience of the Leap Proficiency Scheme With Respect to Cryptosporidium Testing;
An Evaluation of the Current Methods for the Detection and Enumeration of Cryptosporidium in Water;
Automated Detection and Viability Assessment;
Can We Believe Our Results?;
Subject Index

"... provides a unique and excellent overview of the challenges faced by any laboratory wanting to detect and enumerate Cryptosporidium in water."

"... I would expect to see it on the library shelves of any institution seriously concerned with the quality of drinking water."

"... well presented ... a particularly useful resource for specialists in the area of environmental monitoring and water quality assessment."

"... it is ideally structured and presented to act as a baseline introduction to Crytosporidium analysis within the water industry."