Abstract
Cryptosporidium spp. are zoonotic intestinal parasites that infect fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. Cryptosporidium spp. are common cause of diarrhea. In this study, a total of 1032 fecal samples were collected from the rectums of sheep and goats. The samples were analyzed using nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene of Cryptosporidium spp. The average infection rate of Cryptosporidium spp. was 2.23% (n = 23), and three Cryptosporidium species were identified, namely Cryptosporidium ubiquitum (8/23), Cryptosporidium andersoni (5/23) and Cryptosporidium xiaoi (10/23). Subtyping of C. ubiquitum and C. xiaoi was carried out by DNA sequence analysis of the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene. Eight C. ubiquitum isolates were identified as zoonotic subtype XIIa. Nine C. xiaoi isolates were identified as subtypes XXIIIc (n = 1), XXIIIf (n = 3) and XXIIIg (n = 5). Subtype XXIIIg was first found in Chinese sheep. C. ubiquitum subtype XIIa was found in both sheep and goats, suggesting that sheep and goats are important sources of C. ubiquitum infections.
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Data availability
All of the data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published manuscript. The nucleotide sequences of C. xiaoi for the gp60 gene obtained in this study have been deposited in GenBank, GenBank accession numbers: ON809515—ON809517.
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We thank Let Pub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1904203), and the Leading talents of the Thousand Talents Program of Central China (19CZ0122). The sponsors played no role in study design, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data, in writing the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
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Longxian Zhang contributed to the conception and design of the experiments. Jiashu Lang, Han Han and Heping Dong performed the experiments. Ziyang Qin and Huikai Qin helped in interpretation of data. Yin Fu and Junchen Zhang collected fecal samples. Junqiang Li, Xiaoying Li, Guanghui Zhao and Jinfeng Zhao interpreted the results and drafted the manuscript. All of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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This study was conducted in accordance with the Chinese Laboratory Animal Administration Act of 1988. The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Henan Agricultural University. Permission was obtained from farm owners before the collection of animal fecal samples.
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Key findings
• The infection rate of Cryptosporidium spp. was 2.23% in sheep and goats.
• Cryptosporidium ubiquitum, Cryptosporidium andersoni and Cryptosporidium xiaoi were identified in sheep and goats.
• Cryptosporidium ubiquitum subtype XIIa, and C. xiaoi subtypes XXIIIc, XXIIIf and XXIIIg were found in this study.
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Lang, J., Han, H., Dong, H. et al. Molecular characterization and prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in sheep and goats in western Inner Mongolia, China. Parasitol Res 122, 537–545 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07756-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07756-5