J. Vet. Sci. Vol

Vol. 53, No. 3 (2022)
CRYPTOSPORIDIES (CRYPTOSPORIDIIDAE, COCCIDIA, APICOMPLEXA)
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Discussion
It is known that in sheep in different countries 
such species as C.ubiquitum, C.xiaoi, C.parvum 
are widespread [10]. Other species C.fayeri, 
C.homminis, C.suis, C.andersoni and several 
genotypes were found only in adult animals. [18] 
C.ubiquitum is a common zoonotic pathogen. [13]. 
Gaibova et al. diagnosed the presence of only 
2 types of cryptosporidia in domestic ruminants 
in Azerbaijan: C.parvum Tyzzer, 1912 and 
C.andersoni Lindsey et al., 2000. C.parvum has 
also been reported in humans [13]. In sheep found 
by Gaibova, oocysts were round, 4.2, 5.01, and 
5.85 μm in diameter (IF = 1.0) and elongated 
oocysts 5.85-5.01 × 4.2-3.34 μm in size, on 
average 4.7 ± 0.04 × 4.7 ± 0.05 μm (IF = 1.04; n 
= 50). Also were larger, spherical, 6.7 and 5.85 
in diameter (IF = 1.0) and elongated, 6.7-5.85 × 
6.7-5.01 μm in size (IF = 1.0-1.2), on average 6.3 
± 0.07 × 6.08 ± 0.08 μm (IF = 1.03; n = 39) [22].
Spring peaks were due to C.parvum, while 
C.hominis was more prevalent during the late 
summer and early autumn as well as in patients 
reporting recent travel abroad [16].
The oocysts of Cryptosporidium found by 
us and described as Cryptosporidium sp. were 
smaller than those found and described by 
Gaibova [11] .
Our results on seasonal infection of sheep with 
cryptosporidium are coincide results by Gaibova 
et al. where it is reported that more infected 
sheep were observed in autumn (EI-58.1%), in 
winter they were less (EI-18.2%), in spring the 
EI slightly increased - 23.6%. In summer, sheep 
from the Gobustan semi-desert are driven to 
winter pastures; therefore, no data on the summer 
infection of sheep with cryptosporidia [22].