Apical Secretory Glycoprotein Complex Contributes to Cell Attachment and Entry by Cryptosporidium parvum

Abstract

Although Cryptosporidium is extremely efficient at penetrating mucus and invading epithelial cells in the intestine, the mechanism of cell attachment is poorly understood. To expand our understanding of this process, we characterized the antigens recognized by a monoclonal antibody that stains the apical end of invasive stages called sporozoites and merozoites.