Research progress on the contamination status and control policy of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in drinking water

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are globally recognized protozoa that directly cause human diarrhea. Their transmission route mainly involves drinking contaminated water, thus needing proper water treatment to avoid human infection. At present, there is a lack of review on the infection status and control measures of the two protozoa. Hence, this article summarizes and compares the infection status and the role of drinking water in transmitting the Cryptosporidium and Giardia in some key countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. With collected data, this review offers recommendations for sanitary control and provides theoretical support for the application of drinking water treatment projects. HIGHLIGHTS Need to strengthen preventive measures of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in animals.; Improve sanitation facilities, pay attention to non-core areas, and avoid concentrated outbreaks.; Reasonable selection of testing methods according to the needs and conditions of each country.; The water treatment process parameters need to be reasonably selected according to the natural water quality conditions.;