Abstract
Cyclospora cayetanensis is an emerging foodborne parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an enteric disease of humans. Domestically acquired outbreaks have been reported in Canada every spring or summer since 2013. To date, investigations into the potential sources of infection have relied solely on epidemiological data. To supplement the epidemiological data with genetic information, we genotyped 169 Canadian cyclosporiasis cases from stool specimens collected from 2010 to 2021 using an existing eight-marker targeted amplicon deep (TADS) scheme specific to C. cayetanensis as previously described by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the first study to genotype Canadian Cyclospora cayetanensis isolates, and it focuses on evaluating the genotyping performance and genetic clustering. Genotyping information was successfully collected with at least part of one of the markers in the TADS assay for 97.9% of specimens, and 81.1% of cyclosporiasis cases met the minimum requirements to genetically cluster into 20 groups. The performance of the scheme suggests that examining cyclosporiasis cases genetically will be a valuable tool for supplementing epidemiological outbreak investigations and to minimize further infections. Further research is required to expand the number of discriminatory markers to improve genetic clustering.
Highlights
IntroductionCyclospora cayetanensis is the causative agent for the foodborne illness cyclosporiasis
A total of 187 human stool specimens positive for C. cayetanensis were received at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) at Guelph from four provincial public health partners: Public Health Ontario (PHO) Laboratory, Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec (LSPQ), British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) Public Health Laboratory, and Newfoundland Public Health Laboratory (NPHL)
We found that the majority of Canadian C. cayetanensis genotypes were identical to those described in the United States [20,21]
Summary
Cyclospora cayetanensis is the causative agent for the foodborne illness cyclosporiasis. This human gastrointestinal disease displays symptoms similar to other enteric pathogens, including watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and weight loss [1]. In Canada, the first cyclosporiasis outbreak was reported in 1996 [2] prior to becoming a nationally notifiable disease in 2000. Multijurisdictional foodborne outbreaks of locally acquired cases have been declared yearly during the spring or summer months since 2013 [3]. Previous Canadian foodborne cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been associated with a variety of food vehicles imported from endemic regions, including fresh berries (e.g., raspberries, blackberries) [3,4,5,6], Microorganisms 2022, 10, 447.
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