Infection of Cattle With Cryptosporidium parvum

Abstract

Mast cells might play an important role as the major effector cells in the immune response against Cryptosporidium parvum. C. parvum is a protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidiosis in animals and humans worldwide. To investigate the interaction between C. parvum and mast cells during infection, nine 3-day-old male calves were orally challenged with 10 6 oocysts of C. parvum per calf. The distribution of mast cells in the mucosa of the small intestine was analyzed by toluidine blue staining. The concentrations of histamine and the cytokines interferon-g, interleukin-4, interleukin-2, and interleukin-12 were measured in the serum, and the histamine levels were also determined from the intestinal contents. The following clinical signs were monitored: nausea, watery diarrhea, dehydration, and weight loss. Oocysts were shed in the feces during the infection period. C. parvum infection induced an increase in mast cell numbers in the mucosa of the small intestine in distinct temporal and spatial patterns. Infection with C. parvum can induce mastocytosis in the entire small intestinal mucosa in immune-competent calves, and the presence of the parasites influences the distribution profile of the mast cells.

Cellular immune response and scanning electron microscopy in the evaluation of Moringa leaves aqueous extract effect on Cryptosporidium parvum in buffalo intestinal tissue explants

“…In the present study, IFNc, IL-12 and IL-14 in the supernatants of infected nontreated groups were more than those of the control noninfected ones. Our results suggested that the C. parvum infection induced a Th1 response, a finding that agreed with Li et al (2013). Also, our results agreed with Marchi et al (2014) who reported that IL-12 and IFN-c promoted development of naïve CD4?…”

The early intestinal immune response in experimental neonatal ovine cryptosporidiosis is characterized by an increased frequency of perforin expressing NCR1+ NK cells and by NCR1− CD8+ cell recruitment

“…The early immune response of neonatal ruminants to C. parvum infection is still largely unknown although some insight has been gained on the recruitment of CD8 lymphocytes by Wyatt et al [10,52] and of mast cells by Li et al [53] in the gut of infected calves. Natural Killer (NK) cells have been known for a long time to be important actors of the primary innate immune response through cytotoxicity and IFNγ production and also through a regulatory role in the immune response via their interaction with other cells and their ability to produce various cytokines once activated.…”