Natural Calf Model To Develop Cryptosporidium Treatments

Christopher Huston of the University of Vermont in the U.S. will use a calf model to develop effective treatments for the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, which causes severe diarrhoea in both humans and animals. Cryptosporidiosis can be life threatening, and current treatments are ineffective. They have performed a cell- based screen of existing human drugs and identified candidates for treating Cryptosporidiosis that need testing in preclinical animal models. Dairy cattle are naturally infected by Cryptosporidium and exhibit similar symptoms as humans, making them an ideal model for testing candidate drugs. Huston will develop this model by infecting calves at birth, monitoring their health, and using them to test candidate drugs for potential repurposing.