Probes for the specific detection of Cryptosporidium parvum

A probe set, consisting of two synthetic oligonucleotides each tagged with a fluorescent reporter molecule, has been developed for specific detection of Cryptosporidium parvum. Each probe strand detects ribosomal RNA from a range of isolates of this species, and the combination is designed to allow detection of all isolates for which the rRNA sequence has been published. This represents the first use of 6-carboxyfluorescein phosphoramadite as a label for fluorescent in situ hybridization