Detection of infectious Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in surface and filter backwash water samples by immunomagnetic separation and integrated cell culture-PCR.

ABSTRACT: A new strategy for the detection of infectious Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in water samples, which combines immunomagnetic separation (IMS) for recovery of oocysts with in vitro cell culturing and PCR (CC-PCR), was field tested with a total of 122 raw source water samples and 121 filter backwash water grab samples obtained from 25 sites in the United States. In addition, samples were processed by Percoll-sucrose flotation and oocysts were detected by an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) as a baseline method. Samples of different water quality were seeded with viable C. parvum to evaluate oocyst recovery efficiencies and the performance of the CC-PCR protocol. Mean method oocyst recoveries, including concentration of seeded 10-liter samples, from raw water were 26.1% for IMS and 16.6% for f

SUBMITTER: Di Giovanni GD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC91515 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature