Oral dosing of neonatal mice with sucrose reduces infection with Cryptosporidium parvum

Cryptosporidium parvum is a significant cause of diarrheal disease in human s and economically important livestock species. There is no effective treat ment available for this protozoan parasite. Mechanisms of intestinal coloni zation by C. parvum are not well understood, but it has been suggested that the parasite may: utilize a lectin-like receptor. We used an infant mouse model to test whether high sugar concentrations in the intestine would affe ct in vivo colonization with C. parvum. We found that a single oral dose of sucrose, administered to mice at the time of, or 24 hr before, challenge w ith C. parvum significantly reduced infection. Significant reduction of inf ection was also seen in mice given isomaltose. Histologic examination of in testinal sections of mice treated with sucrose or isomaltose, but not other sugars, showed marked vacuolation of the small intestinal epithelium 1 day after treatment. Three days after treatment, tissue appeared normal. Thus, sucrose and, to a lesser extent, isomaltose reduced in vivo colonization w ith C. parvum and altered epithelial cell morphology in intestines of mice.