Abstract
Cryptosporidium is an important gastrointestinal parasite that can cause mild to severe diarrhea in various vertebrates, including humans and domestic animals. Infection is prevalent in dairy cattle, particularly calves, resulting in diarrhea and increased mortality with significant production losses. However, the prevalence and identity of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle in Heilongjiang Province is still poorly known. Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and species and subtype distribution of Cryptosporidium in cattle in the region. In addition, we evaluated the zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium isolates and assessed possible transmission routes and health effects of this organism. We collected 909 fecal samples from five different farms in Heilongjiang Province between August and September 2022. The samples underwent Cryptosporidium detection by nested PCR and small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene sequence analysis. Four Cryptosporidium species were identified, including C. parvum, C. bovis, C. ryanae, and C. andersoni, with an overall prevalence of 4.4% (40/909). Based on sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein gene of C. parvum and C. bovis, three subtypes of C. parvum were identified, namely two previously known subtypes (IIdA19G1 and IIdA20G1), and one novel subtype (IIdA24G2). Two distinct subtype families were identified in C. bovis (XXVId and XXVIe). The high diversity of Cryptosporidium in dairy cattle and the emergence of a novel subtype of C. parvum in Heilongjiang Province suggest that dairy cattle may serve as a significant source of zoonotic cryptosporidiosis infection in this region.
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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 for the SSU rRNA gene and gp60 gene obtained in this study have been deposited in GenBank, GenBank accession numbers: SSU rRNA (OQ456117 - OQ456127); gp60 (OR240212 - OR240218, OR231240, OR250793).
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This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan Project 401 (2022YFD1800200) and Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China–Henan Province Joint Fund (U1904203).
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LXZ conceived and designed the study; HKQ, JSL, and AHZ collected fecal samples; YCC and YF assisted with the interpretation of data; CRW provided the sampling sites; and HKQ and KHZ interpreted the results and drafted the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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The Research Ethics Committee of Henan Agricultural University reviewed and approved the experimental protocol. Samples were collected according to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Ministry of Health, China). Permission was obtained from farm owners before the collection of animal fecal samples.
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Table S1 Primers are used for amplification of C. andersoni MLST subtype (DOCX 15 kb)
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Qin, H., Lang, J., Zhang, K. et al. Study on genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium isolates and first report of C. parvum IIdA24G2 subtype in dairy cattle in China. Parasitol Res 123, 81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-08107-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-08107-8