Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can crypto affect mammals too or just reptiles?

Crytpp causes sickness only in snakes and lizards. Mammals (like mice, crypto is found on feral mice pretty often), can carry crypto but not get sick from it.

The exception is in immunocompromised mammals. People with AIDS have problems with crypto, they get gastrointestinal problems.

-Lemur 6

There are different kinds of crypto. One source states that 23 species of crypto have now been identified, but many of these can cross species- for example c. parvum can affect not only humans but other kinds of mammals as well. It does cause illness in many people who are not immunocompromised, can kill people who are immunocompromised, but some healthy people will not get noticeable symptoms. The species that usually affects reptiles is Cryptosporidium Serpentis, cross transmission studies have shown it is not transmissable to rodents or birds and therefore almost certainly not transmissable to humans.

"Infections with cryptosporidia are easily transmissible between hosts belonging to the same vertebrate class, whereas transmission between different species is only rarely observed. Cryptosporidium serpentis was considered to be the only valid species in reptiles, although there is evidence that there may be as many as five species or subspecies of Cryptosporidium infecting reptiles. Infection with Cryptosporidium serpentis may be asymptomatic and infected snakes may excrete oocysts in the feces for years without obvious clinical signs. If animals are subjected to stress of capture, transportation over long distances, or poor husbandry conditions, the infection may lead to severe clinical signs and death."

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/cryptosporidiosis/factsht_cryptosporidiosis.htm

http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/cornell.html

http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases/Cryptosporidium.htm

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=91727

http://www.afip.org/vetpath/WSC/wsc00/00wsc08.htm

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:sIuaING9yVMJ:memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br/976/4549.pdf Cryptosporidium Serpentis&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
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