Abstract
The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in a cross-sectional study of dairy cattle, from two contrasting dairying regions in Tanzania, were determined by staining smears of faecal samples with the modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique. Of the 1 126 faecal samples screened, 19.7% were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence was lower in Tanga Region than in Iringa Region. The prevalence of affected farms was 20% in Tanga and 21% in Iringa. In both regions, the probability of detecting Cryptosporidium oocysts in faeces varied with animal class, but these were not consistent in both regions. In Tanga Region, Cryptosporidium oocysts were significantly more likely to be found in the faeces of milking cows. In Iringa Region, the likelihood that cattle had Cryptosporidium-positive faeces declined with age, and milking cattle were significantly less likely to have Cryptosporidium-positive faeces. In this region, 7% of cattle were housed within the family house at night, and this was marginally associated with a higher likelihood that animals had Cryptosporidium-positive faeces. Our study suggests that even though herd sizes are small, Cryptosporidium spp. are endemic on many Tanzanian smallholder dairy farms. These protozoa may impact on animal health and production, but also on human health, given the close associations between the cattle and their keepers. Further studies are required to assess these risks in more detail, and understand the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. in this management system.
Highlights
Cryptosporidium is an apicomplexan protozoan causing intestinal infections and clinical disease in both humans and animals worldwide (Fayer & Ungar 1986; Ramirez, Ward & Sreevatsan 2004)
In this study we have investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infections amongst smallholder dairy cattle in two regions of Tanzania
All selected 200 farms from each of Tanga and Iringa Regions were visited during the period of January to April 1999
Summary
Cryptosporidium is an apicomplexan protozoan causing intestinal infections and clinical disease in both humans and animals worldwide (Fayer & Ungar 1986; Ramirez, Ward & Sreevatsan 2004). Cryptosporidium hominis (formerly Cryptosporidium parvum genotype 1) is human-specific and maintained in human-to-human transmission cycles, while Cryptosporidium parvum (formerly Cryptosporidium parvum genotype 2) is maintained by a number of different animal reservoir host species including bovines (Xiao, Fayer, Ryan & Upton 2004). Human infections in Africa have been associated with C. parvum (Tumwine, Kekitiinwa, Nabukeera, Akiyoshi, Rich, Widmer, Feng & Tzipori 2003), which may be of livestock origin because Cryptosporidium spp. infections in livestock appear to be common (Matovelo, Landsverk & Posoda 1984; Esrony, Kambarage, Mtambo, Muhairwa & Kusiluka 1996; Mtambo, Sebatwale, Kambarage, Muhairwa, Maeda, Kusiluka & Kazwala 1997)
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