Cryptosporidium and Giardia in livestock in the Faroe Islands - a potential source for contamination of drinking water supplies

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are protozoan parasites that infect people and animals worldwide. Both are significant causes of diarrhoea and may result in life-threatening diseases in vulnerable hosts, such as neonatal animals, young children, and immunocompromised patients. Both Cryptosporidium and Giardia are transmitted via the faecal-oral route, and infected hosts can shed enormous amounts of the transmission stages of these parasites (Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts) to the environment. Contaminated drinking water is recognised as being a major source of infection with these parasites in humans, with many extensive outbreaks documented. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, there have been no previous investigations on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in sheep and cattle in the Faroe Islands. Furthermore, there have apparently been no investigations on the potential for these pathogens to contaminate drinking water supplies on the Faroe Islands.

Funded by Granskingarráðið