[Worldwide human zoonotic cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium felis].

Cryptosporidium is an important enteric pathogen worldwide distributed causing diarrhoeal illness in humans and animals. Identifying Cryptosporidium species using conventional criteria, such as oocyst morphology, is inadequate. The advent of molecular techniques has conducted to characterize different species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium infecting humans. The vast majority of human cases of cryptosporidiosis in the world are caused by both species, Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum. However other species including Cryptosporidium felis can infect humans too. In this review, we analyse 58 reported cases of human C. felis infection in different parts of the world. To date this emerging protozoan disease is present in humans around the world, except in Australia and Oceania. Adults and children are infected, more often when immunocompromised by HIV infection (83 % of reported cases). Apparently immunocompetent individuals are also infected by C. felis. In developing countries, inhabitants are more likely infected by C. felis probably through the oocyst contamination of drinking or recreational water. The public health importance of C. felis infection in tropical countries remains to be evaluated.