Abstract
Fecal samples were collected from beef cattle bred in Hyogo Prefecture and examined by means of the centrifugal flotation technique for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Of the 582 samples examined, 10 (1.7%) were positive for the oocysts of 2 Cryptosporidium species identified on the basis of morphological characteristics observed under a phase-contrast microscope as C. muris and C. parvum. Prevalence rates were 1.5%(9 heads of cattle) for C. muris and 0.2%(1 head of cattle) for C. parvum. During an 8-month periodin 1998, an additional 116 head of cattle from 2 farms that had been proven Cryptosporidium-positive were examined as further study of the epidemiological features of Cryptosporidium. C. muris infection rates by the month at these 2 farms were as high as 12.5-28.6%, with a mean of 18.1%. These results indicate that C.muris distribution is high in specific farms but is not even throughout Hyogo Prefecture.
