Occurrence of Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts in fecal and water samples in Austria.

Oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. were detected and differentiated by a modular arranged gene amplification procedure in various samples, mostly human stool, feces of herpetotaxa, and water, in different locations of South and Eastern Austria. Cryptosporidium parvum was found in stool samples of immunocompromised persons, in reptile feces, and in water samples. The presence of Cryptosporidium in an area is probably associated with high human population densities since water from protected sources in sparsely inhabited areas is rarely contaminated.