Human intestinal epithelial cells respond to Cryptosporidium parvum infection with increased prostaglandin H synthase 2 expression and prostaglandin E2 and F2alpha production.

Cryptosporidium parvum is an important cause of diarrhea in humans and several animal species. Prostaglandins play a central role in regulating intestinal fluid secretion in animal models of cryptosporidiosis, but their cellular sources and mechanisms of induction are unclear. Here, we show that C. parvum infection directly activates prostaglandin H synthase 2 expression and prostaglandin E2 and F2alpha production in human intestinal epithelial cells.