Mariko Dale (Bern / CH), Costanza Borrelli (Zürich / CH), Dr. Arunasalam Naguleswaran (Bern / CH), Andreas Moor (Zürich / CH), Prof. Philipp Olias (Gießen / DE)
Abstract text
Diarrhoeal diseases are responsible for 10% of child deaths worldwide, making them the second leading cause of child mortality. The zoonotic parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is a major contributor to high diarrhea-related mortality rate in children and juvenile animals. Nitazoxanide is currently the only FDA-approved drug that shortens the duration of illness in immunocompetent human patient, but unfortunately is not better than a placebo in young children. The life cycle of the parasite occurs in a single host and includes the asexual and sexual stages. For the fecal-oral transmitted parasite, the host cells of the intestinal epithelium are crucial for development and replication. Currently, little is known about the host response to infection. We analyzed the transcriptome to study the dynamics in host cells related to infection. Several time points were chosen after infection throughout the life cycle of the parasite. Interestingly, we were able to observe dramatic changes on the transcriptional level over time. These results could form the basis for a better understanding of the host response that contributes to the severe intestinal pathology caused by the parasite.