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Cryptosporidiosis has previously been reported in animals, humans, and water sources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, most reports were only to the genus level, or generically identified as cryptosporidiosis. We aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium species occurring in diarrhetic ungulates which were brought to the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) in Dubai. Using a combination of microscopic and molecular methods, we identified five species of Cryptosporidium occurring among ungulates in the UAE, namely C. parvum, C. hominis, C. xiaoi, C. meleagridis, and C. equi. Cryptosporidium parvum was the most prevalent species in our samples. Furthermore, we identified subtypes of C. parvum and C. hominis, which are involved in both human and animal cryptosporidiosis. This is also the first reported occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the Arabian Tahr, to our knowledge. Since the animals examined were all in contact with humans, the possibility of zoonotic spread is possible. Our study correlates with previous reports in the region, building upon the identification of Cryptosporidium sp. However, there is a need to further investigate the endemic populations of Cryptosporidium, including more hosts, sampling asymptomatic animals, and location data., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

During two falcon seasons (2020/21 and 2021/22) we investigated Serratospiculum samples from 112 falcons and examined a total of 760 nematodes. Of the 112 falcons, there were 62 Saker (Falco cherrug), 15 Peregrine (Falco peregrinus), 11 Gyr (Falco rusticolus), 7 Lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus) and 17 hybrid falcons. In 47 samples the origin of the birds was not mentioned, 49 were from Mongolia, 6 from the UAE, 3 from the USA, 2 from Russia, 2 from the UK and one each from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Germany. Three different Serratospiculum species were identified: S. seurati from 100 falcons (62 Saker, 11 Gyr, 10 Peregrine, 5 Lanner, 12 hybrid falcons, S. tendo from 10 falcons (4 Peregrine, 2 Lanner, 1 Gyr, three hybrid falcons) and S. guttatum from two falcons (one Peregrine and one hybrid falcon). The main morphological features of the three parasite species were described briefly and hosts and countries where Serratospiculum spp. were found were listed according to references., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)