A New Species of Cryptosporidium (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) from Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus)

Power, Michelle; Ryan, Una

doi:10.1645/ge-1508.1

Cited by 41 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Opossum genotype I is considered a subtype of C. fayeri from Australian marsupials with the geographic distribution (North America versus Australia) being the only distinguishing factor (40). Phylogenetic analysis inferred that BTP1 isolates were closely related to C. macropodum hosted by the eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) of Australia (35). Therefore, both distance and phylogenetic analyses were consistent in finding that BTP1 isolates grouped closely with Cryptosporidium hosted by marsupials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…fayeri, and C. macropodum, are regarded as host specific: natural infections have been limited to marsupials, and there are no reported human cases (35,40). The narrow host range of Cryptosporidium from marsupials suggests that the closely related BTP1 genotype may similarly pose limited infectivity to other groups of fauna or humans and is unlikely to be zoonotic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(16); however, there has been no systematic investigation of Cryptosporidium in urban-environmentadapted possums. Studies of other marsupials have identified host-adapted Cryptosporidium species and genotypes, including Cryptosporidium fayeri from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) (40), Cryptosporidium macropodum from the eastern gray kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) (35), and opossum genotypes I and II from the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) (55). Recent species description of C. fayeri has classified opossum genotype I as a subtype belonging to the species (40).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Cryptosporidium Isolates from Common Brushtail Possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) Adapted to Urban Settings

Hill

Deane

Power

2008

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is one of the most abundant native marsupials in urban Australia, having successfully adapted to utilize anthropogenic resources. The habituation of possums to food and shelter available in human settlements has facilitated interaction with people, pets, and zoo animals, increasing the potential for transmission of zoonotic Cryptosporidium pathogens. This study sought to examine the identity and prevalence of Cryptosporidium species occurring in possums adapted to urban settings compared to possums inhabiting remote woodlands far from urban areas and to characterize the health of the host in response to oocyst shedding. Findings indicated that both populations were shedding oocysts of the same genotype (brushtail possum 1 [BTP1]) that were genetically and morphologically distinct from zoonotic species and genotypes and most closely related to Cryptosporidium species from marsupials. The urban population was shedding an additional five Cryptosporidium isolates that were genetically distinct from BTP1 and formed a sister clade with Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis. Possums that were shedding oocysts showed no evidence of pathogenic changes, including elevated levels of white blood cells, diminished body condition (body mass divided by skeletal body length), or reduced nutritional state, suggesting a stable host-parasite relationship typical of Cryptosporidium species that are adapted to the host. Overall, Cryptosporidium occurred with a higher prevalence in possums from urban habitat (11.3%) than in possums from woodland habitat (5.6%); however, the host-specific nature of the genotypes may limit spillover infection in the urban setting. This study determined that the coexistence of possums with sympatric populations of humans, pets, and zoo animals in the urban Australian environment is unlikely to present a threat to public health safety.Cryptosporidium is a genus of protozoan parasite that causes enteric disease in a range of vertebrates with potentially fatal consequences for young or immunocompromised individuals (17). While most species within the Cryptosporidium genus exhibit strong adaptation to the host (55), eight Cryptosporidium species and genotypes from animals (C. parvum, C. meleagridis, C. suis, C. baileyi, C. canis, C. felis, C. muris, and the cervine genotype) have zoonotic capacity and present a public health risk (8,33,41). To assess the threat of spillover infection, a growing number of studies have characterized Cryptosporidium species circulating in wildlife populations. To date, most studies have focused on rodents (5, 9, 13) and a range of animals that, by inhabiting natural watersheds, pose a risk of contaminating human drinking water supplies (2,22,31,34,36,58). In contrast, few studies have investigated the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in wildlife that live directly at the interface of urban settlements, despite their coexistence with high densities of humans and domestic pets, a situation that has proven conducive ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Cryptosporidium Isolates from Common Brushtail Possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) Adapted to Urban Settings

Hill

Deane

Power

2008

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…The main water supply for Sydney, Warragamba Dam, covers 9050 km 2 and is surrounded by national forest inhabited by diverse and abundant marsupials. The same C. fayeri subtype (IVaA9G4T1R1) was also identified in eastern grey kangaroos in Warragamba Dam (Power et al 2009). …”

Section: Marsupialsmentioning

confidence: 63%

Cryptosporidiumspecies in Australian wildlife and domestic animals

Ryan

Power

2012

Parasitology

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SUMMARYCryptosporidiumis an important enteric parasite that is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, water and food. Humans, wildlife and domestic livestock all potentially contributeCryptosporidiumto surface waters. Most species ofCryptosporidiumare morphologically indistinguishable and can only be identified using molecular tools. Over 24 species have been identified and of these, 7Cryptosporidiumspecies/genotypes are responsible for most human cryptosporidiosis cases. In Australia, relatively few genotyping studies have been conducted. SixCryptosporidiumspecies (C. hominis,C. parvum,C. meleagridis,C. fayeri,C. andersoniandC. bovis)have been identified in humans in Australia. However, little is known about the contribution of animal hosts to human pathogenic strains ofCryptosporidiumin drinking water catchments. In this review, we focus on the available genotyping data for native, feral and domestic animals inhabiting drinking water catchments in Australia to provide an improved understanding of the public health implications and to identify key research gaps.

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“…fayeri and C . macropodum , have been characterized from Australian marsupials, and multiple genotypes have also been found [5–9]. Estimates of the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in populations of Australian marsupials range from 6.7% to 12.2% [6, 8–11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

et al. 2017

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The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial found only in the wild in Tasmania, Australia. Tasmanian devils are classified as endangered and are currently threatened by devil facial tumour disease, a lethal transmissible cancer that has decimated the wild population in Tasmania. To prevent extinction of Tasmanian devils, conservation management was implemented in 2003 under the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. This study aimed to assess if conservation management was altering the interactions between Tasmanian devils and their parasites. Molecular tools were used to investigate the prevalence and diversity of two protozoan parasites, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, in Tasmanian devils. A comparison of parasite prevalence between wild and captive Tasmanian devils showed that both Cryptosporidium and Giardia were significantly more prevalent in wild devils (p < 0.05); Cryptosporidium was identified in 37.9% of wild devils but only 10.7% of captive devils, while Giardia was identified in 24.1% of wild devils but only 0.82% of captive devils. Molecular analysis identified the presence of novel genotypes of both Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The novel Cryptosporidium genotype was 98.1% similar at the 18S rDNA to Cryptosporidium varanii (syn. C. saurophilum) with additional samples identified as C. fayeri, C. muris, and C. galli. Two novel Giardia genotypes, TD genotype 1 and TD genotype 2, were similar to G. duodenalis from dogs (94.4%) and a Giardia assemblage A isolate from humans (86.9%). Giardia duodenalis BIV, a zoonotic genotype of Giardia, was also identified in a single captive Tasmanian devil. These findings suggest that conservation management may be altering host-parasite interactions in the Tasmanian devil, and the presence of G. duodenalis BIV in a captive devil points to possible human-devil parasite transmission.

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A New Species of Cryptosporidium (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) from Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus)

Cited by 41 publications

References 20 publications

Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Cryptosporidium Isolates from Common Brushtail Possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) Adapted to Urban Settings

Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Cryptosporidium Isolates from Common Brushtail Possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) Adapted to Urban Settings

Cryptosporidiumspecies in Australian wildlife and domestic animals

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

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