An Investigation of The Detection Method and Treatment of Cryptosporidiosis in Four-Toed Hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris)

Abstract

Hedgehogs are a reservoir of two species of zoonotic Cryptosporidium : C. parvum and C. erinacei (previously known as the hedgehog genotype). In Japan, only one case of the Cryptosporidium horse genotype has been reported. In this report, the hedgehog genotype was detected in three individual, captive hedgehogs in Japan. When compared to PCR in the commercial laboratory and the sucrose floating method, Kinyoun staining at the hospital was considered equally accurate for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts of the horse genotype. The oral administration of paromomycin might be effective against cryptosporidiosis in hedgehogs.