Abstract
Background Cryptosporidium spp. is prevalent globally, pigs are an important Cryptosporidium reservoir. In China, little data regarding rates of Cryptosporidium infections in pigs are available. The present study was therefore aimed at characterizing the distribution of Cryptosporidium species in pigs from two different cities, Shaoxing and Shanghai, from the Yangtze River delta.Methodology/Principal FindingsNested PCR to amplify the 18S rRNA locus on DNA extracted from fecal samples (n = 94) revealed the positive rate of Cryptosporidium in pigs from two cities was approximately 17.0%. The positive rates in Shanghai and Shaoxing were 14.3% and 25.0% respectively. Amplified sequences were verified by sequencing. The identified strain belonged to the C. pig genotype II using BLAST analysis in the NCBI database.Conclusion/SignificanceOur finding of Cryptosporidium pig genotype II in pigs in the Yangtze River delta area suggests that pig farms in this region must be considered a public health threat and proper control measures be introduced.
Highlights
Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that can cause severe diarrhea, anorexia and weight loss, especially in neonatal and immunocompromised animals
Cryptosporidium species can parasitize a wide spectrum of animals and are the cause of zoonotic infections affecting humans and infections are typically caused by several species including C. parvum, C. hominis, C. canis, C. felis, C. cuniculus and C. meleagridis
Pigs are an important Cryptosporidium reservoir making it important to understand the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in swine as a means of controlling and preventing cryptosporidiosis in both animals and humans
Summary
Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that can cause severe diarrhea, anorexia and weight loss, especially in neonatal and immunocompromised animals. More than 20 Cryptosporidium species have been identified [1,2], more than 60 genotypes remain undefined [1,2,3]. Cryptosporidium species can parasitize a wide spectrum of animals and are the cause of zoonotic infections affecting humans and infections are typically caused by several species (and genotypes) including C. parvum, C. hominis, C. canis, C. felis, C. cuniculus and C. meleagridis. Less frequently associated with human infections are strains including C. suis, C. muris, C. ubiquitum and the rare Cryptosporidium pig genotype II [4,5,6,7]. Pigs are an important Cryptosporidium reservoir making it important to understand the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in swine as a means of controlling and preventing cryptosporidiosis in both animals and humans. The present study was aimed at characterizing the distribution of Cryptosporidium species in pigs from two different cities, Shaoxing and Shanghai, from the Yangtze River delta
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