Cryptosporidium infection in lambs and goat kids in Serbia

Abstract

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among lambs and goat kids in Serbia was examined. The animals were grouped according to age, i.e., up to 30 days and from 31 to 90 days. The infection was diagnosed using three coprological procedures. Sheather’s sugar flotation was employed to determine the concentration of oocysts. Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique and modified Kinyoun technique were used as staining procedures. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 42.1% examined lambs and 31.8% goat kids. These findings clearly demonstrate the presence of Cryptospodium infection in lambs and goat kids in Serbia and indicate the potential role of these animals as reservoirs of cryptosporidia.

U ovom radu su izneti rezultati Ispitivanja raširenosti Cryptosporidium infekcije kod jagnjadi i jaradi na teritoriji Srbije. Ispitivane životinje su podeljene u dve starosne grupe: do 30 dana i od 31-90 dana. Za dijagnostiku kriptosporodijalnih infekcija korišćene su tri koprološke metode: flotacija po Sheatheru za koncentraciju oocista i modifikovane Ziehl-Neelsen i Kinyoun tehnike kao metode bojenja. Oociste kriptosporidija su ustanovljene kod 42,1% pregledane jagnjadi i 31,8% jaradi. Ovi nalazi ukazuju na potencijalnu ulogu jagnjadi i jaradi kao rezervoara infekcije za kriptosporidije drugih vrsta životinja i ljudi u Srbiji.