Simone M. Caccio` • Giovanni Widmer
Editors

2014

It is more than a 100 years since Cryptosporidium parasites were first described by Edward Tyzzer.1 In addition to the initial discovery, two events stand out for having significantly impacted our awareness of these parasites and the diseases they cause. The HIV epidemic and the emergence of cryptosporidiosis as a potentially severe opportunistic infection in people living with AIDS was significant, not only because of the clinical implications but because it motivated a substantial research effort and a desire to better understand these parasites. A second notable event was the waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreak which occurred in Milwaukee in 1993.