The Current Status of Protozoan Parasitic Diseases in Cyprus: A Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

Infections caused by parasites affect millions of people around the world and cause human death worldwide. Most of the protozoan exists as free-living species in different aquatic environments as well as some of the species living in association with host organisms and can infect the host. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the available information concerning infectious parasitic diseases in Cyprus. Data on protozoan parasitic infections/carriage prevalence in Cyprus is limited, possibly due to the unknown levels of pathogens contamination in the water supplies and in the ecosystem, which could relate to tourism on the island—a major pillar in the Cypriot economy. Tourists and immigrants represent a melting pot of many human activities that brings many people from all over the world together and potentially serves as a source for contamination that can cause endemic infectious diseases on the island.

Diagnostic Performance of Toluidine Blue Stain for Direct Wet Mount Detection of Cryptosporidium Oocysts: Qualitative and Quantitative Comparison to the Modified Ziehl–Neelsen Stain

“…Despite the availability of several diagnostic procedures for detecting Cryptosporidium in faeces, slaughterhouses, food, and water [7,10,[15][16][17], diagnosis of Cryptosporidium sp. is still absent in many countries, for example, in Egyptian [1] and Cyprus laboratories [18], although it is present in any country. Numerous characteristics, including the tiny, microscopic size, staining absorbance, and shape of Cryptosporidium sp.…”

Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium species from domestic ruminants and wild reptiles in Cyprus

“…Cryptosporidium is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite that can cause diarrheal illnesses and death in vulnerable groups of people and livestock (Karanis et al 2007 ; Kotloff et al 2013 ; Caccio and Chalmers 2016 ; Carter et al 2020 ). Cryptosporidium is frequently found in many wildlife habitats and farm areas (Ryan et al 2021 ). It has environmentally stable oocysts that are resistant to chlorine disinfection and can easily be spread in the environment or in the food and water supply by infected faecal material (Karanis et al 2007 ; Ryan et al 2021 ).…”

“…Cryptosporidium is frequently found in many wildlife habitats and farm areas (Ryan et al 2021 ). It has environmentally stable oocysts that are resistant to chlorine disinfection and can easily be spread in the environment or in the food and water supply by infected faecal material (Karanis et al 2007 ; Ryan et al 2021 ). Cryptosporidium is known to infect ruminants (cattle, camels, deer, elk, goats and sheep) and lead to economic losses from decreased milk production and animal death (Plutzer and Karanis 2009 ; Giadinis et al 2012 ; Arsoy 2020 ; Ursini et al 2020 ).…”

“…Humans and animals are at risk of infection from some of the more pathogenic species (Carter et al 2020 ; Ryan et al 2021 ). Heavy rainfall can flush Cryptosporidium oocysts from farms into lakes, rivers and reservoirs, which can have a negative impact on public and animal health (Xiao et al 2004; Karanis et al 2007 ; Plutzer and Karanis 2009 ; Robertson 2009 ; Baldursson and Karanis 2011 ).…”

“…Historically, Cryptosporidium infection has been thought to be host-specific, and species have been named according to the host in which they were identified. The development of molecular detection and typing tools has resulted in the identification of 45 recognised Cryptosporidium species and > 120 genotypes, 19 species and four genotypes have been reported in humans with C. hominis , C. parvum , C. meleagridis , C. canis and C. felis being the most prevalent (Ježková et al 2021 ; Ryan et al 2021 ; Zahedi et al 2021).…”