Cryptosporidium mortiferum, a parasite transmitted by squirrels, is beginning to spread in Europe. C. mortiferum was detected in a symptomatic human. A 44-year-old man from the Czech Republic suffered from gastroenteritis characterized by abdominal pain, nausea, and loose stools. Molecular analyses confirmed the XIVaA20G2T1 subtype in the patient's stool. At the same time, the same subtype of C. mortiferum was detected in three red squirrels and two ground squirrels in the area where the patient lived. The intensity of the infection was significantly higher in the red squirrels that died, while the ground squirrels showed no symptoms. The results of the study indicate that red squirrels and ground squirrels are the reservoirs for the infection.

Czech Union of Nature Conservationists Animal Rescue Center Vlašim Czech Republic

Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology Wroclaw Medical University Wroclaw Poland

Department of Microbiological Sciences North Dakota State University Fargo ND USA

Faculty of Agriculture and Technology University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Public Health based in Ústí nad Labem National Reference Laboratory for the Diagnosis of Parasitic Intestinal Diseases Ústí nad Labem Czech Republic

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