Is water supply a factor in crypto transmission?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Cryptosporidium is currently the leading cause of waterborne illness in the United States.
"Members of the genus Cryptosporidium are parasites of the intestinal tracts of fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
A number of researchers believe that to date 23 species of cryptosporidium have been named based on host occurrence.
(updated after reply below was posted.)
It seems however, that members of this genus do not display a high degree of host specificity, so the number of species in this genus remains a matter of some discussion.
Cryptosporidium isolated from humans is now referred to as C. parvum."
http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases...osporidium.htm
Got "Beaver Fever"?
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are microscopic parasites that can be found in water. Giardia causes an intestinal illness called giardiasis or "beaver fever."
Cryptosporidium is responsible for a similar illness called cryptosporidiosis.
Cattle feces appear to be the primary source of Cryptosporidium, although these parasites have also been found in humans and other animals.
Drinking water sources become contaminated when feces containing the parasites are deposited or flushed into water.
If treatment is inadequate, drinking water may contain sufficient numbers of parasites to cause illness.
(Korich and co-workers, Applied and Environmental Microbiology)
reported that 1 mg/L of ozone for 5 minutes achieved greater than 90 percent inactivation.
These authors concluded that with the possible exception of ozone, the use of disinfectants alone should not be expected to inactivate Cryptosporidium parvum in drinking water.
Filtration of water through a filter with a pore size of one micron or less is required to effectively remove cysts.
Boiling;
It has long been accepted that boiling water for 10 minutes (adding a minute for each 1000 feet above sea level) renders water sterile.
From limited studies it is probable that standard pasteurisation procedures will inactivate these organisms. Heating Cryptosporidium cysts in water to 72.4°C within one minute or holding cysts in water at 64.2°C (160ish F)
for two minutes rendered cysts non-infective to mice.
Cryptosporidium Oocysts are highly resistant to most disinfectants, unfortunately.
Water can be filtered to remove Cryptosporidium oocysts and the cysts of another protozoan parasite, Giardia lamblia.
Point-of-use filters may be used to treat the water to be used for drinking or preparing foods.
They may be either attached to a faucet or have a pour-through design.
Only filters with an "absolute" (not "nominal") pore size of one micron or smaller will remove all the oocysts (viruses, however, can pass through a one-micron filter). The pore size of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are too small for oocysts to pass through.
NSF International, an independent non-profit testing agency, publishes lists of filters and RO units certified for "cyst reduction".
Grapefruit Seed Extract at the rate of ten drops per gallon will render "safe" of microbiology, most allegedly "clean and safe" water sources.
30 minute Contact time is important to give the G.S.E. time to "do its stuff".
Could Cryptosporidium oocysts be getting to Reptile collections through the water/ rodent supplies?
Could this help explain the "mysterious" occurrence of "crypto" sneaking into some collections even though closed collection techniques are followed.
Is water supply a factor in crypto transmission?
Would it even be identified as the "Culprit" source of initial infestation?..
...Probably not...
Freezing cannot be relied upon to destroy all Cryptosporidium cysts...
a small proportion of oocysts survived 750 hours at -22°C after slow freezing.
http://www.dfst.csiro.au/fshbull/fshbull14.htm
Frozen, allegedly "parasite free" rodents could also possibly be a unsuspected crypto cysts "cross transmission" vehicle. (to ones self if nothing else).
Standard home freezers don't operate cold enough to be true, "way below zero" type deep freezers.
Another good reason to "clean up" ones mice colonies and not to count on the "miracle" of freezing as a cure all.
Hundreds of small water systems throughout the country (and around the world) do not have adequate purification systems.
And in urban as well as rural areas, streams and watersheds can become contaminated through infected wastes/ sewage.
C. parvum has never been "documented" in reptiles according to the CDC. They mostly get C. serpentis although occasional cases have been found where a reptile gets C. baileyii, a strain normally affecting poultry, especially turkeys. Crypto is notorious for not being species specific.
How common are Cryptosporidium oocyst's in your local munincipal water supply?... Something you may wish to inquire into of your local water company, especially in those areas with huge "super-Animal Farms" (Cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, etc) leaching mucho waste into the ground/ groundwater whenever it rains, it can be a big factor in water quality "these days" in some areas.
http://www.cvm.missouri.edu/cvm/cour...a/Cryptosp.htm