First report of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. in peafowl (Pavo cristatus) in China

Abstract

Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. are important pathogens causing diarrhea in humans and animals. However, few studies have been conducted on the infection of E. bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. in peafowl up to now. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence and the involved genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in peafowl in Beijing and Jiangxi Province, China. In total, 258 peafowl fecal samples were collected. Overall, both Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi had the same prevalence, i.e. 6.59% (17/258). Higher infection rates of E. bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. were found in the adolescent peafowl. The prevalence of E. bieneusi in Beijing and Jiangxi Province was 5.23% and 8.57% respectively. For Cryptosporidium spp., the prevalence was 4.58% and 9.52% in Beijing and Jiangxi Province, respectively. Three zoonotic genotypes of E. bieneusi were confirmed, including two known genotypes, genotype Peru 6 and D, and one novel genotype, JXP1. Two avian specific species/genotypes of Cryptosporidium , Avian genotype Ⅲ and Goose genotype Ⅰ, were identified. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. occurrence in peafowl in China. The findings suggest that peafowl could be reservoirs of E. bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. which could be potentially transmitted to humans and other animals, and the present survey have implications for controlling E. bieneusi and Cryptosporidium spp. infection in peafowl.

First detection and genotyping of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in pet fancy rats (Rattus norvegicus) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) in China

“…In China, genotype D has been identified in immunocompromized patients and in children with diarrhea [18,[27][28][29]32]. Genotype D has also been identified in a wide range of animal hosts in China, including non-human primates, rodents (mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, chinchillas, and bamboo rats), other mammals (pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, horses, donkeys, rabbits, dogs, cats, foxes, deer, takins, minks, raccoon dogs, raccoons, lions, and hippos), and birds, as well as in water samples [6,8,9,11,17,24,26,30,31,33,34].…”

First Detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in Migratory Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) in China

“…Other studies have also reported much higher infection rates of Cryptosporidium in wild birds than this study, e.g., in wild captive psittacines in Brazil (10.64% 5/47), Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora) in northern China (13.42% 47/350), and North American red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) (17.1% 12/70), and Canada geese (23.4% 49/209) in Ohio and Illinois [25][26][27][28]. Previous studies recorded Cryptosporidium infection rates in domestic birds of 2.3%-4.86% in Brazil [29][30][31] and 0.82%-8.1% in China [32][33][34][35][36]. These variations in the positive rate of Cryptosporidium in different studies may be attributable to population densities, feeding habits, and climate.…”

PCR-Based Detection of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Farm-Raised and Free-Ranging Geese (Anser anser f. domestica) From Hainan Province of China: Natural Infection Rate and the Species or Genotype Distribution

“…Although C. baileyi has been identified in one immunodeficient patient, this species should not be considered as a true zoonotic agent since this patient was immunodeficient, and no other reports exist (Ditrich et al, 1991). Cryptosporidium goose genotype I has been commonly found in Canada geese, and has also been found in aquatic birds and peafowl (Jellison et al, 2004; Zhou et al, 2004; Cano et al, 2016; Feng et al, 2019). To date, no human cases of cryptosporiosis caused by Cryptosporidium goose genotype I have been identified.…”