The faecal microbiota plays a critical role in host health, with alterations in the human faecal microbial composition associated with various conditions, particularly diarrhoeal diseases. However, little is known about microbial changes during cryptosporidiosis, one of the most important diarrhoeal diseases caused by protozoa in cattle. In this study, alterations in the faecal microbiota of neonatal calves as a result of
Cryptosporidium parvum
infection were investigated on a
C. parvum
-positive farm. Comparisons were made among groups of
C. parvum-
infected, rotavirus-infected, and the pathogen-negative calves. A specific increase in the abundance of
Fusobacterium
was observed in the faecal microbiota of
C. parvum
-infected animals. Diarrhoea severity increased in accordance with the abundance of
C. parvum
and
Fusobacterium
. Moreover, the specific increase of
Fusobacterium
appeared to be a universal feature of
C. parvum
infection, since neonatal calves from geographically separated areas showed the same result. These observations indicated that the growth of
Fusobacterium
may be an important aggravating factor of cryptosporidiosis.
Fasciola gigantica is considered to be a major pathogen causing fasciolosis in the Indian subcontinent, resulting in millions of dollars production losses to the livestock industry. To understand the dispersal origin and the spread patterns of F. gigantica is important for preventing the disease. A total of 53 Fasciola flukes collected from buffalo and goat in the Punjab province of Pakistan, were identified as F. gigantica based on the multiplex PCR for the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck) and the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for DNA polymerase delta (pold). A significant genetic difference between F. gigantica from buffalo and goats in Pakistan was indicated by the genetic analysis of two distinct mitochondrial markers [NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) and cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (cox1)]. Phylogenetic analysis of the seventeen nad1 haplotypes of F. gigantica from Pakistan with those in neighbouring countries of the Indian subcontinent revealed that all the haplotypes were clustered in haplogroup A. Fasciola gigantica with the eight haplotypes might be expanded in Pakistan from Indian origin, along with the migration of the domestic animals, since they were related to Indian haplotypes. In contrast, the remaining nine haplotypes were not shared with any neighbouring countries, suggesting independent origin, or possibly come from neighbouring Middle East countries. Our study provides a proof of concept for a method that could be used to investigate the epidemiology of F. gigantica regarding the development of sustainable parasite control strategies.
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