# Capturing the genomic variation present in Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · 2023 · $442,524

## Abstract

Title: Capturing the genomic variation present in Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis
PROJECT SUMMARY
Parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium cause 748,000 cases of cryptosporidiosis annually in the U.S. and are
the second-leading cause of diarrheal disease in infants worldwide. Globally in 2016, among children younger
than 5, acute cryptosporidiosis caused 48,000 deaths and 4.2 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost
with 7.8 million more DALYs attributable to growth faltering. Cryptosporidium species are eukaryotic
apicomplexan parasites classified as bio-defense category B pathogens. Waterborne outbreaks of
Cryptosporidium have caused up to 400,000 illnesses in a single incident in the U.S., and are a constant threat
to public health worldwide. The CDC estimates a >3-fold increase in cases of cryptosporidiosis in the U.S. since
2004. To address this urgent public health problem, we propose to develop and use new genomic resources to
better understand Cryptosporidium species that infect humans by characterizing the distribution of DNA variants
in local and global contexts. We will sequence ~1500 samples from a vast set of >53,000 curated samples to
generate broadly-applicable population genetic data and genomic resources for species that have thus far been
refractory to extensive sequence characterization. The proposed studies and resources will take the
Cryptosporidium research community to the next level, effectively changing the types of questions that can be
asked by providing a new context to generate hypotheses and new tools that can be re-used to further our
knowledge of these pathogens. Specifically, AIM 1 will develop refined hybrid capture bait sets for powerful
new assays to characterize Cryptosporidium. We will develop two bait sets for capture enriched sequencing
(CES), one for whole genome characterization (focusing on species that most frequently infect humans) and one
for high-throughput characterization of all Cryptosporidium species that commonly infect humans. CES is a
game-changer for Cryptosporidium research, facilitating multi-locus and whole genome characterization from
fecal DNA or environmental samples where Cryptosporidium DNA is low in abundance. AIM 2 will generate
and improve genome assemblies and annotation for C. hominis, C. tyzzeri, C. meleagridis, and C.
cuniculus. These assemblies complete the reference sequences needed for species that commonly infect
humans (or are a model) and will serve as a reference for the data that will be generated in Aim 3 and as a
resource for the biomedical research community. AIM 3 will characterize the genetic diversity of C. parvum
and C. hominis through surveys of the distribution of genomic diversity in specific contexts. We focus on these
two species because they cause >90% cryptosporidiosis cases. We will conduct high-throughput CES on 1152
samples, identifying 384 of those plus 384 additional samples for full genome CES. We will use the resulting
data to test hy...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10691445
- **Project number:** 5R01AI148667-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Travis C. Glenn
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $442,524
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-20 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10691445

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10691445, Capturing the genomic variation present in Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis (5R01AI148667-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10691445. Licensed CC0.

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