Cryptosporidiosis is a intestinal disease caused by microscopic parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium. It casuses sever diarrhea and is typically self limitting. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as Crypto (CDC info page)
Many species of Cryptosporidium exist that infect humans and a wide range of animals. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine disinfection. (See EPA Advisory)
While this parasite can be transmitted in several different ways, water is a common method of transmission and Cryptosporidium is one of the most frequent causes of waterborne disease (drinking water and recreational water) among humans in the United States.
Giardiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the protozoan Giardia lamblia. Symptoms of giardia infection are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, pale and greasy stools, fatigue, bloating, and weight loss. Diarrhea may last for days or weeks, or may come and go. Symptoms vary from person to person. Some people with Giardiasis have no symptoms at all. Symptoms usually start from five to 25 days after swallowing the cyst. People and animals infected with giardiasis pass it in their stool. People become infected either by direct hand-to-mouth transfer from the stool of an infected person or indirectly by swallowing water that has been contaminated with stool that contains giardia (when swimming in ponds, drinking from streams, etc.).
Our Laboratory is completely equipped for environmental parasitology and possesses all the equipment necessary for performing EPA Method 1623 for analysis of Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
Cryptosporidium and Giardia One Page Sampling Summary (pdf)
Method EPA 1623 Cryptosporidium and Giardia analysis
| Cryptosporidium and Giardia Detection and Enumeration (Method 1623) and LT-2. Price includes one Envirochek HV Filter. Laboratory staff will perform field sampling of up to 100 Liters using approved filter. Or Accept a water sample that is shipped directly to the laboratory; typically 10 liters. Price does not include travel time or shipping charges. Should a client prefer to use own filters then please subtract $100 from this price. | $525.00 / filter or water sample |
| Envirocheck HV Filter; for analysis of water samples. This price is the cost per additional filter and does not include price of analysis or sample collection. The standard test price includes one filter. | $100 / filter |
| Sampling Kit; includes insulated cooler, cooler packs, tubing, flow regulator, connections, and flow meter. | $25.00 / kit plus shipping cost |
| Matrix Spike analysis (Required initially and every 20 samples thereafter) | $350.00 |
| Additional filters and analysis of collected sample (in case of highly turbid source waters that cause clogging) Max 1 per sampling event | $450.00 per filter |
| Analysis of additional subsamples as per method requirement (max 3 per sampling event). This occurs if pellet volumes exceed 0.5 ml as is the case in highly turbid systems | $175.00 per slide |
| Cryptosporidium Viability Testing: Concentrated samples from Method 1623 are inoculated onto HCT-8 cell monolayers in 8-well chamber glass cell culture slides and are incubated in a 5% CO2 atmosphere at 37° C for 48 hours. Viable Cryptosporidium oocysts are enumerated by the Foci Detection-Most Probable Number Method described by Slifko et al. (1999). Results are reported as viable oocysts per 100L. | $495/ sample (must be done in conjunction with the Method 1623 service) |
| Helminth Ova Detection; Test Method for Detecting, Enumerating, and Determining the Viability of Ascaris Ova in Sludge (PDF) |
$340.00 / sample |
| Sample collection, apparatus set-up, transportation and travel charge | Call for quotation. |
