Transcriptomic analysis of intra- and extracellular stages of Cryptosporidium parvum

Human cryptosporidiosis is caused primarily by two Cryptosporidium species, C. parvum and C. hominis. The enteric infection is frequent in infants living in developing regions. Cryptosporidium parasites are cultured in monolayers of epithelial cells. To better understand host-parasite interaction in culture, we analyzed the parasite transcriptome in intracellular stages at 24 h post-infection and in oocysts. The transcriptome of four replicate infected cultures and four uninfected cultures was sequenced together with RNA from a single oocyst sample.