Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) in Jiangsu, China.

Si-Yang Huang,Jing-Zhi Gong,Yi-Jun Ren,Yi-Min Fan,Bin Yang,Yi Yang,Na Yao

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612020013

Abstract

Cryptosporidium is a zoonotic parasite that causes diarrhea in a broad range of animals, including deer. Little is known about the prevalence and genotype of Cryptosporidium spp. in Père David's deer. In this study, 137 fecal samples from Père David's deer were collected between July 2017 and August 2018 in the Dafeng Reserve and analyzed for Cryptosporidium spp. by nested-PCR based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene, followed by sequence analyses to determine the species. The 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene was used to characterize Cryptosporidium spp. Among 137 samples, 2 (1.46%) were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. according to SSU rRNA gene sequencing results. Both samples belonged to the Cryptosporidium deer genotype, with two nucleotide deletions and one nucleotide substitution. The prevalence data and molecular characterization of this study provide basic knowledge for controlling and preventing Cryptosporidium infections in Père David's deer in this area.

Highlights

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by Cryptosporidium spp., which is an important enteric apicomplexan parasite of zoonosis in the world (Parsons et al, 2015; Tanriverdi et al, 2007; Zhang et al, 2016)
One study indicated that Cryptosporidium was found in Père David’s deer, there was no detailed information about prevalence
Phylogenetic analyses Phylogenetic relationships were established by the NJ method; the Plasmodium cathemerium sequence was used as the outgroup, and the sequence similarity between Cryptosporidium species and genotypes available in GenBank was observed based on SSU rRNA (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by Cryptosporidium spp., which is an important enteric apicomplexan parasite of zoonosis in the world (Parsons et al, 2015; Tanriverdi et al, 2007; Zhang et al, 2016). Little information is available about Cryptosporidium infections in Père David’s deer (Huang et al, 2018). The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections and molecular characteristics were investigated in Père David’s deer in the Dafeng Reserve, China.

Results

Conclusion