Occurrence of <i>Cryptosporidium</i> Oocysts in Faeces, Milk and Water Sources in Sedentary Fulani Herds in Selected Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract Cryptosporidiosis is a neglected tropical zoonotic disease, commonly associated with a diarrhoea, caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Cryptosporidium . The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in faeces, milk, and water sources, and its associated risk factors in sedentary Fulani herds. Seven hundred and fifty faecal samples (240, 180, 240 and 90 from cattle, sheep, goats and dogs, respectively), and 120 samples each, of milk and water were collected for this study. Faecal samples were concentrated by formol ether concentration technique, then stained using Modified Ziehl Neelsen staining method, to detect Cryptosporidium oocysts. Cryptosporidium oocysts in milk and water samples were also concentrated and stained with same stain. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in (cattle, dog, sheep and goat faeces were 18.3 %, 15.6 %, 13.9 % and 4.2 %, respectively.), Significantly higher prevalence was observed in calves ≤ 1 year (P = 0.002), female cattle (P = 0.007) and animals with poor body condition (P &lt; 0.001) than in the other groups. Goats with poor body condition scores had significantly higher prevalence (P = 0.008) than other groups while dogs ≤ 6 months of age also had significantly higher prevalence (P = 0.03) than older dogs. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in bulk cow milk was 11.7 % while a prevalence of 13.3 % was observed in the water bodies sampled. Hence the findings of this study are of great public health significance, therefore, inhabitants of these LGAs should be informed and educated on the need for improvement of sanitary measures during the course of milking these animals, and the need for adequate pasteurization, of milk before consumption.