环境水样中微小隐孢子虫卵囊的检测和卵囊传染性的测定仍然是水工业面临的紧迫问题。在本研究中，使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）和针对微小隐球菌hsp70基因的特异性引物检测微小隐球菌的总卵囊，并使用细胞培养（HCT-8）酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测感染性卵囊。此外，还评估了整合细胞培养PCR试验作为高度敏感的微小隐球菌感染性试验的使用。通过免疫磁性分离（IMS）回收植入环境水样中的卵囊，并直接用于PCR分析和HCT接种- 8细胞培养。对卵囊库存的PCR显示一致的检测限为1到2个卵囊。单独ELISA的检测限在10到100个卵囊之间，而在1000000个HCT-8细胞的背景下，整合细胞培养PCR的检测限为5个或更少的传染性卵囊。

The detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in environmental water samples and the determination of oocyst infectivity remain pressing issues for the water industry. In this study, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers specific for the C. parvum hsp70 gene were used to detect total C. parvum oocysts and a cell culture (HCT-8) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect infectious oocysts. An integrated cell culture-PCR assay was also evaluated for its use as a highly sensitive C. parvum infectivity assay. Oocysts seeded into environmental water samples were recovered by immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and used directly for PCR analyses and inoculation of HCT-8 cell cultures. PCR on oocyst stocks revealed a consistent detection limit of 1 to 2 oocysts. ELISA alone had a detection limit between 10 and 100 oocysts, while the integrated cell culture-PCR had a detection limit of 5 or less infectious oocysts in a background of 1,000,000 HCT-8 cells.