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Micro World

How small is a Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst?

A Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst is about 5 µm across.

What is measured: infectious cyst stage, diameter

Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst (5 µm) drawn to scale beside an E. coli bacterium (2 µm) and a red blood cell (7.5 µm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: E. coli bacterium (2 µm), Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst (5 µm) and Red blood cell (7.5 µm).

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How big is that, really?

  • A little smaller than a red blood cell
  • About 4 would fit across a cloud droplet
  • About 2.5× the length of an E. coli bacterium
  • About 50× as wide as a flu virus

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Facts about Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst

Cryptosporidium oocysts are so resistant to chlorine that they can survive standard water treatment.

Source: CDC: Cryptosporidiosis; WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality

Micro World

NameSizeCompared with Cryptosporidium Oocyst
Aspergillus niger Spore4 µm0.8×
Clostridium difficile4 µm0.8×
Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst5 µmthis page
Chlorella Algae Cell5 µmsame size
Candida albicans5 µmsame size
Halobacterium salinarum5 µmsame size
Thermus aquaticus5 µmsame size
Human T Lymphocyte7 µm1.4×
Human B Lymphocyte7 µm1.4×
Cryptococcus neoformans8 µm1.6×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst or Aspergillus niger Spore?

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