Global prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in cattle: A meta-analysis
Abstract
The apicomplexan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. are the causative agents of a severe diarrhoeal disease called cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium species are capable of infecting a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans and livestock. In cattle, cryptosporidiosis is now one of the most important causes of neonatal scour globally, either as a sole agent or co-infecting with other pathogens. Cryptosporidiosis is considered globally endemic, with a prevalence of Cryptosporidium in stool samples from 13% to 93% in European cattle. This disease has a significant economic burden, with costs associated with veterinary diagnosis and medication, animal rearing, and supplemental nutrition. It is also associated with a reduced long-term growth rate in calves, causing huge economic losses in the livestock industry. Moreover, cattle act as a zoonotic reservoir for Cryptosporidium parvum, a species that is capable of infecting humans as well. As such, monitoring the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle is important due to the public health risk and financial burden the clinical disease causes. Publications reporting on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle were collected from PubMed and Google Scholar. Information regarding the age of the animals, the species of Cryptosporidium in positive samples, the genotype of C. parvum found in samples, and the diarrhoeic status of the cattle was collected where available. A total of 248 publications were collected for…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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