<i>Cryptosporidium</i> emission loads and spatial characteristics in aquatic environment of the Yangtze River Delta based on multi-source accounting

LIU Kaicheng; XIAO Shumin; HUANG Wenbing; SUN Gaowei; GAO Fu; ZHONG Yuan

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202609001

Volume 44 Issue 9

Sep. 2026

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LIU Kaicheng, XIAO Shumin, HUANG Wenbing, SUN Gaowei, GAO Fu, ZHONG Yuan. Cryptosporidium emission loads and spatial characteristics in aquatic environment of the Yangtze River Delta based on multi-source accounting[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 1-8. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609001

Citation:

LIU Kaicheng, XIAO Shumin, HUANG Wenbing, SUN Gaowei, GAO Fu, ZHONG Yuan. Cryptosporidium emission loads and spatial characteristics in aquatic environment of the Yangtze River Delta based on multi-source accounting[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 1-8. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609001

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Cryptosporidium emission loads and spatial characteristics in aquatic environment of the Yangtze River Delta based on multi-source accounting

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609001

1. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China;
2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology, Tianjin 300384, China

Received Date: 2025-10-30
Available Online: 2026-11-05

Abstract

Abstract

Cryptosporidium， as a typical waterborne pathogen， poses a significant public health risk via environmental transmission and warrants urgent attention. However， systematic quantification of its regional-scale emission fluxes and spatial distribution remains limited in China， resulting in a “black box” in environmental safety management. This study aims to quantify the emission loads of Cryptosporidium oocysts in the aquatic environment， accurately identify key pollution sources and spatial hotspots， and thereby provide a basis for targeted regional risk prevention and control. Focusing on the Yangtze River Delta （YRD） as the study area， human and livestock pollution source data were integrated to develop an assessment model for Cryptosporidium oocyst emission loads. Key parameters （e.g.， infection rate， fecal oocyst concentration） were fitted using probability distributions， and the total emission loads and their uncertainty were quantified via Monte Carlo simulation. High-resolution visualization of the emission loads was achieved through spatial mapping techniques. The results indicate that the total annual emission of Cryptosporidium oocysts into the aquatic environment of the YRD is 4.78×10¹⁶ oocysts/year （95% CI： 4.34×10¹⁵ to 1.68×10¹⁷ oocysts/year）. Poultry farming is the dominant emission source， contributing 94.69%， primarily driven by the high oocyst concentration in poultry feces （mean OPG： 5.52 lg number/g） and the scale of intensive farming in the region. The emission loads exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity， with distinct pollution hotspots identified in northern Anhui （e.g.， Fuyang， Bozhou） and eastern Jiangsu （e.g.， Yancheng， Nantong）. Sensitivity analysis further reveals that the oocyst concentration in poultry feces is the core driving factor， while feces management process parameters （e.g.， storage loss rate， land application ratio） are actionable leverage points for intervention. This study provides practical insights for implementing the environmental safety strategy of “targeted identification and prioritized prevention” and improving the early warning system for biological pollution.
- Cryptosporidium,
- Yangtze River Delta （YRD）,
- aquatic environment,
- emission load,
- spatial distribution

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References(21)

References

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