Abstract
Cryptosporidium and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important intestinal pathogens that infect humans and various animals. Few reports are available regarding the infections of the two pathogens in Père David's deer. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed Cryptosporidium infection in two (1.6%) and E. bieneusi in 45 (35.2%) of 128 fecal samples collected from Père David's deer in the National Nature Reserve of Shishou, Hubei Province, China. C. parvum (n = 1) and Cryptosporidium deer genotype (n = 1) were identified using the small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene. The C. parvum was further subtyped as IIdA20G1 by sequencing analysis of the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene. The identity of E. bieneusi was confirmed by an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene; the HLJD-V (n = 42) and MWC_d1 (n = 3) genotypes were identified, with the former clustering in group 2 and the latter in group 1. These data suggest that the Père David's deer were infected with host-specific and/or zoonotic genotypes of these pathogens, implicating Père David's deer could be a potential source of human Cryptosporidium infection.
Highlights
Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi infections can cause profuse or chronic diarrhea in humans and animals that may be life-threatening in immunocompromised people
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed Cryptosporidium spp. infection in two of the 128 fecal samples (1.6%), lower than 6.4% (3/47) (χ2 = 2.88; P > 0.05) of prevalence reported in Père David's deer in Yuanyang County Forest Farm, Henan Province, China (Wang et al, 2008; Huang et al, 2018)
Enterocytozoon bieneusi was identified in 35.2% (45/128) the samples, which is similar to the 34.0% (16/47) prevalence reported in a previous study (Zhang et al, 2015)
Summary
Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi infections can cause profuse or chronic diarrhea in humans and animals that may be life-threatening in immunocompromised people. Both pathogens are transmitted by the fecal-oral route to a broad range of hosts by direct contact or ingestion of contaminated food or water (Xiao, 2004). More than 20 Cryptosporidium species or genotypes have been reported in human infections, of which about two-thirds originated from wild, freerange animals (Ortega, 2013). Enterocytozoon bieneusi is one of the 17 microsporidia reported to cause infections in humans and is the most frequently identified species in humans (Matos et al, 2012; Weiss and Becnel, 2015). The over 380 genotypes that have been identified are classified into eleven genetic groups (Li et al, 2019)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
