An official website of the United States government.
<OL> <LI> Prevent illness in food animals, control food contamination and protect public health from protozoan parasites. <LI>Develop diagnostic tests for Cryptosporidium parvum and microsporidia to aid in epidemiologic studies of livestock, wildlife, and surface waters.<LI> Management practices on farms will be examined to determine methods that reduce contamination. <LI>Immunity based strategies will be tested to reduce or eliminate infection and illness.
Develop methods to optimize recovery of parasites from biological and environmental sources including continuous flow centrifugation and immunomagnetic bead separation. Develop molecular and immunologic diagnostic tests to optimize identification of parasites in feces, water, soil, and compost. Tests will attempt to differentiate parasite species and genotype parasites specific for humans and livestock. Develop immunity based strategy with private industry for prophylaxis against Cryptosporidium in neonatal calves. Conduct on-farm studies of Cryptosporidiosis in Middle Atlantic states with farms participating in programs with government agencies and NGO's designed to develop best management practices related to reduction of pathogens in manure and milk. Novel immune based approaches may also include testing of adjuvants, recombinant proteins, parasitic DNA, and cytokines in laboratory animals and livestock. BSL-2; Recertified 11/06/01.