Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 6 1 2011 03 15 20 27 EN K Manouchehri Naeini Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Entomology, School of Medicines, Shahr-e-kord University of Medical Science, Shahr-e-kord, Iran M Asadi Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Entomology, School of Medicines, Shahr-e-kord University of Medical Science, Shahr-e-kord, Iran M Hashemzade Chaleshtori Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahr-e-kord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord,Iran 2015 10 03 Background: The aim of this study was to detect and characterize Cryptosporidium spp. in water sam­ples collected from recreational ponds of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiyari Province of Iran . Meth­ods: Thirty water samples were collected  from November 2009 to May 2010. Each sample con­tained 10 liters of water. We used the SSU rRNA-based PCR-RFLP technique. Results: Out of thirty samples examined, 6 (20%) were positive for different Cryptosporidium spp. Restriction pattern analysis showed that C. parvum has been the most prevalent genotype, fol­lowed by C. hominis  and C. canis , respectively. In this area, the higher prevalence of C. par­vum compared with other genotypes is consistent with the distribution of cattle. Conclusion: Farm animals, particularly cattle arethe main source of cryptosporidial contamina­tion for recreational waters in this area. https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/161 https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/download/161/160