Prevalence and molecular characterization ofCryptosporidiumspp. in dairy cattle from farms in China

Abstract

Fecal samples of 2,056 dairy cattle from 14 farms were collected in three geographical regions of China and stained using a modified acid-fast staining technique to identify Cryptosporidium oocysts. A total of 387 (18.82%) positive samples were identified and further analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers designed to amplify DNA fragments from the small subunit ribosomal RNA. The PCR products were sequenced and the sequences were deposited in the GenBank database under accession numbers EU369377-84 and GU070730-33. Phylogenetic analysis was performed and a distances matrix generated from these sequences confirmed the existence of Cryptosporidium ( C. ) parvum 'mouse' genotype, C. bovis , C. andersoni , C. hominis , and C. serpentis in cattle. These results represent the first report on the prevalence and genetic identification of Cryptosporidium species, and may contribute to a better understanding of the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in cattle in China.

Epidemiology ofCryptosporidiuminfection in cattle in China: a review

“…According to the available published sources, Cryptosporidium species are distributed within 19 provinces in China, including northern China (Tianjin [31] and Inner Mongolia [52]), northeastern China (Heilongjiang [25, 55, 58]), eastern China (Shanghai [5, 59], Jiangsu [5], Anhui [5, 23, 51], Shandong [29], and Taiwan [46]), southern and central China (Henan [7, 16, 20, 24, 27, 29, 36, 44, 45], Hunan [29], Guangdong [47], and Guangxi [17, 50]), southwestern China (Sichuan [37] and Tibet [37]), and northwestern China (Gansu [37, 38, 56], Qinghai [2, 21, 28, 30, 32, 37, 54, 59], Ningxia [9, 18, 56], Xinjiang [14], and Shanxi [57]) (Tables 1 and 2). The overall infection rate was 11.9%, and infection rates varied significantly for different regions/provinces ( p  < 0.05).…”

“…Currently, Cryptosporidium infections in cattle are usually associated with four main species, i.e., C. parvum , C. andersoni , C. ryanae , and C. bovis . However, other species, including C. suis , C. hominis , C. serpentis , C. xiaoi , C. ubiquitum , C. meleagridis , C. muris , and C. felis , have also been identified in cattle [1, 3, 5, 6, 12, 13, 42, 48, 49]. …”

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in pre-weaned calves in Shaanxi Province, north-western China

“…In the present study, Cryptosporidium infection and species were determined using a molecular method for pre-weaned calves in Shaanxi Province, north-western Species determination is essential for evaluation of the zoonotic source of cryptosporidiosis and control of this disease. Four Cryptosporidium species, namely C. bovis, C. andersoni, C. parvum and C. ryanae, have been identified as the most common species in cattle in different countries, including China (Geurden et al, 2006(Geurden et al, , 2007Starkey et al, 2006;Coklin et al, 2007;Feng et al, 2007;Langkjaer et al, 2007;Plutzer & Karanis, 2007;Thomaz et al, 2007;Thompson et al, 2007;Halim et al, 2008;Szonyi et al, 2008;Brook et al, 2009;Chen & Huang, 2012), with C. andersoni reported as the most frequent species in yearlings and adult cattle. C. ryanae and C. bovis have been identified as the dominant species in cattle older than 6 months, and C. parvum as the species most common in pre-weaned dairy calves in the USA (Fayer et al, 2006Santín et al, 2008).…”

“…Cryptosporidium meleagridis, an important zoonotic species that inhabits birds, was also detected in pre-weaned dairy calves in Heilongjiang Province, north-eastern China (Zhang et al, 2013). Additionally, Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium serpentis were also found in dairy cattle in some provinces of eastern China (Chen & Huang, 2012;Chen & Qiu, 2012).…”

Molecular Characterization of <i>Cryptosporidium</i> Isolates from Calves in Ishikari District, Hokkaido, Japan

“…In Kenya, 20% of dairy cattle were PCR-positive for Cryptosporidium [12]. In China, 18.82% positive samples were identified from dairy cattle [3]. In India, 17.65-86.67% of calves were Cryptosporidium positive [29].…”