INDIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, vol.83, no.5, pp.564-565, 2006 (SCI-Expanded)
Cryptosporidium is a minute coccidian protozoon belonging to phylum Apicomplexa. Twenty species of this parasite have been described from a variety of vertebrates including mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Development of the Cryptosporidium occurs within the brush border. of the epithelial cells of the intestine. Sporulated oocysts, containing four sporozoits are passed in the faeces and are transmitted by ingestion (Markell, et al., 1992).