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Bather density and levels of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and pathogenic microsporidian spores in recreational bathing water

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Abstract

The study demonstrated that the resuspension of bottom sediments caused by bathers and their direct microbial input resulted in elevated levels of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, Giardia lamblia cysts, and microsporidian spores, particularly Enterocytozoon bieneusi, in recreational beach water on days deemed acceptable for bathing by fecal bacterial standards.

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Acknowledgment

The study was supported by the Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellowship (grant no. 2225 to Graczyk), Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD; grant no. AGR/PR20071), Paris, France; Johns Hopkins NIEHS Center in Urban Environmental Health (grant no. P30 ES03819); Johns Hopkins Faculty Research Innovation Fund; Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; and the Johns Hopkins Center for Aids Research (CFAR).

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Correspondence to Thaddeus K. Graczyk.

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Graczyk, T.K., Sunderland, D., Tamang, L. et al. Bather density and levels of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and pathogenic microsporidian spores in recreational bathing water. Parasitol Res 101, 1729–1731 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0734-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0734-1

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