Criptosporidiosis is an important problem of public health. The role of Cryptosporidium parvum as a waterborne pathogen has been documented. But epidemiological features of this parasitic protozoon lead to the assumption that the incidence of Cryptosporidium spp. in aquatic environmental is under-estimated. The lack of sensitive detection methods adapted for oocysts detection in water contributed to this under-reporting. This review paper discusses the theme, including the occurrence of these pathogens in aquatic environmental and the available detection methods. Although the molecular biology technique used for identification of the agent, the parasitological diagnostics' method continue to show satisfactory results. Polimerase chain reaction (PCR) is a promising detection method and the potencial use in the detection of C. parvum in water has been described. The Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts identification in water samples depends on the number of oocysts, sensibilty of methods, and the concentration technique and this step is fundamentally to precision of test.
Cryptosporidium spp.; Waterborne transmission; Diagnostic methods; Concentration of oocysts