Detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in a Red-Eared Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans), a Noted Invasive Alien Species, Captured in a Rural Aquatic Ecosystem in Eastern Poland.

There was no clinical evidence that the red-eared slider turtle was truly infected rather than being merely a mechanical parasite carrier. Sporadic detection of this protozoan parasite in the studied population of IAS turtles could be associated with low natural occurrence of Cryptosporidium infections in this animal species. The results provide evidence for possible transmission of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species by IAS turtles.