Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Horses from communities of the Mapuche native people, Araucanía Region, Chile

Abstract

Background:There are no studies of potential zoonotic diseases in Mapuche communities' horses. Objectives:The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in horses of the Mapuche communities. Study design:This was a cross-sectional study.Methods: Faecal samples from 100 randomly selected horses (n = 100) were taken from rural Mapuche communities from four municipalities from the Araucanía Region.These samples were processed with the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique and grouped by sex, age and municipality. Results:The general prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 67.0% (n = 67). The prevalence was 51.0% (n = 51) in males and 49.0% (n = 49) in females, and there is no gender association to the presentation of Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence by municipality was 60.0%, 80.0%, 64.0% and 64.0% in Curarrehue, Lonquimay, Padre las Casas and Teodoro Schmidt, respectively. The above shows no significant association between the sector and the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence by age was 95.4% of horses tested positive for Cryptosporidium between birth and 6 years of age. About 27.3% of horses were tested positive in the age group between 7 and 10 years. There was no presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the age group older than 11 years, showing a significant relationship between the age of the animal and the presence of Cryptosporidium (P ˂ 0.05). Main limitations:The sample analysis did not specifically identify the type of Cryptosporidium, and it was not possible to evaluate the zoonotic risk in the Mapuche communities.Conclusions: Cryptosporidium spp. is present in working horses in Mapuche communities, with a 67.7% general prevalence, and there is a significant association between this parasite and the age of the horses, being higher in the age group between 0 and 6 years, with a prevalence of 95.4%. There may be a potential zoonotic risk in the Mapuche communities.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in working horses in Egypt

“…The sex of the horse was not also associated with Cryptosporidium spp. infection in the current study which is consistent with published research(Tuemmers, et al 2022). In the current study, we attempted to extract DNA and amplify 18S rRNA genes using PCR from a random subset of positive samples but none of the PCR reactions yielded positive results.…”

“…Another recent study from Chile that investigated Cryptosporidium spp. infection prevalence in 100 adult horses using microscopy reported greater prevalence of 67%(Tuemmers et al 2022). Earlier studies of the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp.…”

“…infection in adult horses that used microscopy for identi cation of oocysts reported prevalence of 36.9% in Taiwan(Guo, et al 2014), 9.4% in Poland (Majewska et al 1999), 18.4% in Brazil (Inacio et al 2012) and 19.5% in Iran (Haghi et al 2020).Studies consistently reported greater prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in foals compared with adult horses(Cole, et al 1998, Inacio, et al 2012, Tuemmers, et al 2022, Veronesi, et al 2010). The horse age was negatively associated with Cryptosporidium spp.…”

World Equine Veterinary Association Congress moves to Chile: A collection of articles for the South American practitioner

“…Efectivamente, Sudamérica tiene poblaciones de personas indígenas quienes tienen caballos como animales de trabajo y viven en lugares remotos llevando una relación cercana al medio ambiente que los rodea. Estas condiciones hacen que las enfermedades zoonóticas sean de preocupación significativa, ese riesgo fue destacado por Tuemmers et al (2023), 2 quien identifico una prevalencia de 67% de Cryptosporidium spp. en las heces de caballos de trabajo en la comunidades rurales Mapuches en la Región de la Araucanía en Chile.…”

“…Indeed, South America has populations of indigenous people who keep horses as working animals, and live in remote locations with very close relationships to their surrounding environment. These conditions make zoonotic diseases a significant concern, the risk of which was highlighted by Tuemmers et al, 2 who identified a 67% prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the faeces of working horses of the rural Mapuche communities in the Araucania region of Chile.…”