Comparison of two techniques for diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis in diarrhoeic goat kids and lambs in Cyprus.

This study was conducted in the Larnaca area of Cyprus and included 28 goat and 15 sheep flocks suffering from neonatal diarrhoea (>20%). Faecal samples from diarrhoeic animals revealed that 25 of the 28 goat and 12 of the 15 sheep flocks were positive for Cryptosporidium. The ELISA was more accurate in the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis compared to the Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique (P < 0.05). Flock size and the period of kidding/lambing were found to be the main risk factors implicated in the occurrence of neonatal goat kid/lamb cryptosporidiosis.