Cryptosporidium myocastoris n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae), the Species Adapted to the Nutria (Myocastor coypus)

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp., common parasites of vertebrates, remain poorly studied in wildlife. This study describes the novel Cryptosporidium species adapted to nutrias (Myocastor coypus). A total of 150 faecal samples of feral nutria were collected from locations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and examined for Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts and specific DNA at the SSU, actin, HSP70, and gp60 loci. Molecular analyses revealed the presence of C. parvum (n = 1), C. ubiquitum subtype family XIId (n = 5) and Cryptosporidium myocastoris n. sp. XXIIa (n = 2), and XXIIb (n = 3). Only nutrias positive for C. myocastoris shed microscopically detectable oocysts, which measured 4.8–5.2 × 4.7–5.0 µm, and oocysts were infectious for experimentally infected nutrias with a prepatent period of 5–6 days, although not for mice, gerbils, or chickens. The infection was localised in jejunum and ileum without observable macroscopic changes. The microvilli adjacent to attached stages responded by elongating. Clinical signs were not observed in naturally or experimentally infected nutrias. Phylogenetic analyses at SSU, actin, and HSP70 loci demonstrated that C. myocastoris n. sp. is distinct from other valid Cryptosporidium species.

Cryptosporidium sciurinum n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) in Eurasian Red Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris)

“…As inferring the evolutionary relationships of Cryptosporidium spp. using SSU sequences alone can lead to erroneous conclusions [54,57,58], we included other polymorphic loci for our analyses. Although some previous studies have shown polymorphism in actin, HSP70, and TRAP-C1 genes in Cryptosporidium spp.…”

Public health and ecological significance of rodents in Cryptosporidium infections

“…(165); Microtus pennsylvanicus (13); A. agrarius (13); Ondatra zibethicus (8); Spermophilus beecheyi (149); Sciurus carolinensis (6); Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (9); Tamias striatus (38); Marmota monax (2); Castor canadensis (2); Castor fiber (16); Erethizon dorsatum (2); Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (8); Cavia porcellus (1); Chinchilla lanigera (3); Phodopus sungorus (4); Myocastor coypus (1); Rhizomys sinensis (158); Rattus tanezumi (3); Marmota flaviventris (33); Wild rat (13); Qinghai vole (3) IIaA15G2R1; IIaA16G2R1; IIaA17G2R1; IIaA18G1R1b; IIaA18G3R1; IIdA15G1; IIiA10; IIpA9; IIpA6; IIoA15G1; IIoA13G1 [ 5 , 37 , 80 , 87 , 24 , 64 ] C. meleagridis Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) Birds, humans Commonly reported R. norvegicus (1); R. rattus (1); Wild rat (1) – [ 38 , 65 , 80 ] C. ubiquitum Cattle ( B. taurus ) Ruminants, rodents, primates Commonly reported R. norvegicus (1); C. lanigera (49); Siberian flyingsquirrel (1); M. coypus (5); Callosciurus erythraeus (19); Wild rat (10); Laboratory rats (1); Qinghai vole (1) XIIa; XIId; XIIi [ 5 , 11 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 46 ] C. viatorum Human ( Homo sapiens ) Rodents Many reported leopoldamys edwardsi (11); swamp rats (3); Wild rats (25) XVbA2G1; XVaA6; XVaA3g; XVaA3h; XVcA2G1; XVcA2G1a; XVcA2G1b; XVdA3 [ 52 , 66 , 91 ] C . muris …”

“…The species has a broad host range that includes primates, carnivores, ruminants, and various rodents [ 46 , 94 ]. There are increasing research reports of C. ubiquitum being detected in rodents, and the host range has been expanding to include rodents such as wild squirrels, chipmunks, field mice, brown rats, Myocastor coypus , pet C. lanigera , farm bamboo rats, and laboratory mice [ 40 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 53 , 62 , 67 , 74 , 77 , 81 ]. In the USA, a study showed that transmission of C. ubiquitum to humans from rodents was likely to come from drinking untreated water contaminated by wildlife urine or feces [ 11 ].…”

Presence and genetic diversity of enteric protists in captive and semi-captive non-human primates in côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Peru

“…Sequence analyses of housekeeping genes including the small subunit ( ssu rRNA) or the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA gene have revealed a high degree of genetic diversity within Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis , Blastocystis sp., and E. bieneusi , leading to the identification of several genotypes/subtypes with marked differences in host specificity and range ( Franzén et al, 2009 ; Stensvold et al, 2012 ; Li and Xiao, 2019 ; Garcia-R et al, 2020 ). Thus, the genus Cryptosporidium encompasses at least 46 valid species, with C. hominis and C. parvum causing most of the infections reported in humans and NHP globally ( Ježková et al, 2021 ; Zahedi et al, 2021 ). Giardia duodenalis is constituted of eight (A to H) distinct genetic assemblages, of which zoonotic assemblages A and B are able to infect a wide diversity of mammal species including humans and NHP ( Ryan and Cacciò, 2013 ).…”