Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells Respond to Cryptosporidium parvum Infection with Increased Prostaglandin H Synthase 2 Expression and Prostaglandin E(2) and F(2α) 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 E(2) and F(2α) production in human intestinal epithelial cells.