Abstract
Cryptosporidiumis an intestinal zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects domesticated and wild animals. There are no reports on the prevalence and molecular characterisation ofCryptosporidiumin the endemic Cyprus mouflon. The mouflon is strictly protected by national and international legislation. Its main distribution is Paphos State Forest and surrounding areas, where it may share the same water sources as free-ranging domestic goats. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence ofCryptosporidiumspp. and genotypes in mouflon and free-ranging goats within the mouflon range. Faecal samples of 70 mouflons and 34 free-ranging goats were screened forCryptosporidiumby PCR amplification and sequencing. Only one sample (1/70) belonging to a mouflon was PCR positive forCryptosporidium. Based on sequencing of the18SrRNA locus, this species was identified asCryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum). No positive sample was detected in the free-ranging goats (0/34). This is the first report on the molecular identification of thisCryptosporidiumspecies in a Cyprus mouflon. The results indicate that the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in Cyprus mouflon is low.
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