Revisiting the infectivity and pathogenicity of Cryptosporidium avium provides new information on parasitic sites within the host

Abstract

BackgroundCryptosporidium spp. are protozoans that cause diarrheal illness in humans and animals, including birds, worldwide. The present study was aimed to revisit the infectivity and pathogenicity of C. avium, recently considered to be a valid avian-infecting species of Cryptosporidium, and foster further understanding of its biological characteristics.ResultsResults showed that no Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in the feces of experimentally inoculated BALB/c mice, Mongolian gerbils, quail or budgerigars within 30 days post-infection (dpi). Oocysts were first detected in feces of 3-day-old and 40-day-old hens at 8 and 9 dpi, respectively. In ducks infected with C. avium, oocysts were first detected at 9 dpi. Oocysts of infected animals were studied using a nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the SSU rRNA gene, actin gene, HSP70 gene and Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein gene (COWP) detection. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), using SspI and VspI restriction enzymes, was carried out to genotype the species and obtained amplification products were sequenced. Cryptosporidium developmental stages were found in the longitudinal plica of the bursa fabricii (BF) of hens, with high levels observed in histological sections and scanning electron microscopy. No pathological changes were observed.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the bursa fabricii may be the primary site of C. avium infection. More biological data are needed to support the establishment of new species and contribute to the taxonomy of Cryptosporidium.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3088-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Anticryptosporidium Efficacy of Olea europaea and Ficus carica Leaves Extract in Immunocompromised Mice Associated with Biochemical Characters and Antioxidative System

“…This result should be attributed to the immunodeficient situation that flared up the infection. This was evident research [46], and another study [47] found a higher number of developmental stages in the epithelial cells of the infected control group's gut [47,48]. A reduction in the villus to crypt ratio in mice infected with C. parvum oocysts was observed by some studies.…”

Cryptosporidium cf. avium in an inland-bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) – A case report and review of the literature

“…No pathology. Abe and Matsubara, 2015 C. avium Buderigar, Cockatiel P Melopsittacus undlates Nymphicus hollandicus China KM267556 none none unknown Zhang et al (2015) C. avium * Red-crowned parakeet, Chicken, Budgerigar P Cyanoramphus novaezealandiae, Gallus gallus , Melopsittacus undlates Czechia KU058875-78 KU058879-82 KU058883-86 none Holubová et al (2016) C. avium Canary P Serinus canaria Brazil MG832882 none none none Camargo et al (2018) C. avium * Cockatiel P , Chicken* Nymphicus hollandicus , Gallus gallus China JQ246415 JQ320301 JQ798893 none Cui et al (2018) C. avium * Mallard, Chicken, Pheasant W,A Anas platryrhynchos , Gallus gallus , Phasianus colchicus Czechia none none none none Holubová et al (2018) C. avium Red-crowned parakeet, Budgerigar P Cyanoramphus novaezealandiae, ...…”

“…C. avium was confirmed by PCR from a Major Mitchell's cockatoo in the USA, which, like the iguanas and ostriches, presented with cloacal prolapse, but also renal cryptosporidiosis ( Curtiss et al, 2015 ). Cui et al (2018) suggested that the bursa of Fabricius was the main site of infection for C. avium , which was established via experimental infection of chickens – which showed no clinical signs during infection.…”

CRISPR/Cas12a-based on-site diagnostics of Cryptosporidium parvum IId-subtype-family from human and cattle fecal samples

“…Subtype IIdA19G1 oocysts of C. parvum were used in this study. Oocysts were purified and counted according to a previous study [ 24 ] and stored in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 4 °C. N-lauroylsarcosine sodium salt (LSS) was used in the crude DNA extraction, and a homemade DNA banding column was used to purify DNA from the crude extracts (Additional file 1 : Figure S1).…”