Emergence of novel subtypes of Cryptosporidium parvum in calves in Poland

Abstract

The aim of the study was to identify the Cryptosporidium parvum subtypes circulating in Polish cattle and their distribution in relation to the age and health status of tested animals. In total, 779 fecal samples were obtained from young cattle originating from 237 farms. C. parvum strains were identified at the 18 small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA), COWP, and LIB13 loci and were subsequently analyzed by sequencing at the 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) locus for subtype determination. The presence of 71 C. parvum strains belonging to IIa, IId, or IIl subtype families was shown. The strains from the IIa allele family prevailed with IIaA17G1R1, IIaA17G2R1, and IIaA15G2R1 subtypes occurring frequently. Two novel subtypes IIaA10G1R1 and IIlA19R3 were detected for the first time in a bovine host. The highest C. parvum prevalence (22.5 %, confidence interval (CI) = 2.5 %) was observed among the youngest animals up to 2 weeks of age, followed by the prevalence among those aged 2 to 4 weeks (6.6 %, CI = 2.6 %) and then among older cattle (4.9 %, CI = 2.1). The occurrence of diarrhea in animals was associated with the presence of the IIaA16G1R1b subtype, while infections caused by IIaA15G2R1 strains were more likely to be asymptomatic. The geographical distribution of subtypes revealed that strains from the IIa subtype family were detected all over the country frequently compared to the IId and IIl subtypes, the sporadic appearances of which confirmed their endemic occurrence. Subtype analysis revealed the presence of zoonotic strains indicating cattle as a reservoir for human cryptosporidiosis.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in feces and water and the associated exposure factors on dairy farms

“…The most common strain in our study, IIaA20G1R1, has been detected in cattle in some regions of the world: Serbia and Montenegro, Sweden, and Argentina [73,74,75,76], but there are no reports of this strain in humans. The second most common strain identified in stool samples, IIaA17G2R1, has been detected in other studies on cattle [77,78] and on humans [79,80]. After an outbreak of human cryptosporidiosis at a camp in North Carolina, USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have demonstrated that ~60% of the confirmed cases were caused by C .…”

First report of Cryptosporidium canis in farmed Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in China

“…Cryptosporidiosis is caused by species of Cryptosporidium , important zoonotic protozoan parasites [ 1 – 3 ]. Cryptosporidium spp.…”

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum in dairy calves and GP60 subtyping of diarrheic calves in central Argentina

“…Accordingly, identification of Cryptosporidium intraspecific variation has been central in understanding transmission dynamics of zoonotic parasite strains. Molecular characterization of C. parvum at the subtype level in dairy calves, important to determine zoonotic potential, have been conducted in several countries (Santín et al 2008;Xiao and Fayer 2008;Amer et al 2010;Silverlås et al 2013;Smith et al 2014;Kaupke and Rzeżutka 2015). In Argentina, two previous studies have reported C. parvum as the only species present in 120 preweaned dairy calves and subtypes IIaA16G1R1 IIaA17G1R1, IIaA18G1R1, IIaA19G1R1, IIaA20G1R1, IIaA21G1R1, IIaA22G1R1, and IIaA23G1R1 have been identified (Tomazic et al 2013;Del Coco et al 2014).…”