Occurrence ofCryptosporidiumandGiardiain Wild Ducks along the Rio Grande River Valley in Southern New Mexico

Abstract

Fecal samples were taken from wild ducks on the lower Rio Grande River around Las Cruces, N. Mex., from September 2000 to January 2001. Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were purified from 69 samples by sucrose enrichment followed by cesium chloride (CsCl) gradient centrifugation and were viewed via fluorescent-antibody (FA) staining. For some samples, recovered cysts and oocysts were further screened via PCR to determine the presence of Giardia lamblia and Crytosporidium parvum. The results of this study indicate that 49% of the ducks were carriers of Cryptosporidium, and the Cryptosporidium oocyst concentrations ranged from 0 to 2,182 oocysts per g of feces (mean ؎ standard deviation, 47.53 ؎ 270.3 oocysts per g); also, 28% of the ducks were positive for Giardia, and the Giardia cyst concentrations ranged from 0 to 29,293 cysts per g of feces (mean ؎ standard deviation, 436 ؎ 3,525.4 cysts per g). Of the 69 samples, only 14 had (oo)cyst concentrations that were above the PCR detection limit. Samples did test positive for Cryptosporidium sp. However, C. parvum and G. lamblia were not detected in any of the 14 samples tested by PCR. Ducks on their southern migration through southern New Mexico were positive for Cryptosporidium and Giardia as determined by FA staining, but C. parvum and G. lamblia were not detected.Cryptosporidium and Giardia are enteric parasites that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including birds and mammals. Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia are the most common pathogenic species of these parasites in humans. In humans, these organisms can cause persistent diarrhea for 1 to 3 weeks. One of the most common modes of transmission is consumption of feces-contaminated water (17,25,34). It is estimated that 80 to 96% of surface waters in the United States are contaminated with Cryptosporidium and Giardia (16,29).

Identification of NovelCryptosporidiumGenotypes from Avian Hosts

“…The overall prevalence rate of 6.3% for Cryptosporidium spp. in the Australian avian hosts was low compared to previous studies which have reported prevalences ranging from 6 to 100% in farm-raised chickens (2, 7, 22, 27, 33), 20 to 60% in ducks and geese (9,11,33,39), and 22 to 100% in gulls (23,33). All the Australian fecal samples were obtained from aviaries and commercial poultry farms where strict sanitation procedures were in place including daily cleaning of cages and aviaries (e.g., changing paper trays and washing of the aviaries and water and food containers), which may account for the lower prevalences reported in the present study.…”

Large-scale survey ofCryptosporidiumspp. in chickens and Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in Henan, China: prevalence and molecular characterization

“…In contrast, in the past 10 years there have been only about six reports (Trampel et al, 2000;Kimura et al, 2004;Huber et al, 2007;Soltane et al, 2007;Shemshadi et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2010). Likewise, there are only a few reports (about seven) concerning Cryptosporidium infections in ducks (Mason, 1986;Richter et al, 1994;O'Donoghue, 1995;Morgan et al, 2001;Kuhn et al, 2002;Huber et al, 2007;Amer et al, 2010).…”

“…The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in ducks also varied among countries in the world. In the USA, an investigation indicated that 49% of ducks were carriers of Cryptosporidium (Kuhn et al, 2002). A study conducted in Germany showed a 57% (73/128) prevalence rate in ducks (Richter et al, 1994), whereas in Australia only one of 97 ducks examined was positive (Mason, 1986).…”

May a cormorant colony be a source of coliform and chemical pollution in a lake?

“…Apart from enriching the aquatic ecosystems with chemical substances, water birds may be responsible for the microbial pollution of groundwater (Jones 2003) and surface water (Brieley et al 1975). Water birds can serve as reservoirs of bacteria pathogenic to humans, such as Escherichia coli (Kuhn et al 2002, Dobbin et al 2005.…”