Abstract
Cryptosporidium spp. are common intestinal protozoan parasites that infect a wide range of hosts, including humans and livestock, worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in dairy calves in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the potential for transmission of this parasite between dairy calves and humans. Fecal samples were collected from 183 dairy calves from 11 farms in Prince Edward Island. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infections in these animals was determined by examining for the presence of oocysts in the fecal samples, using immunofluorescence microscopy. Molecular characterization was done using a nested-PCR protocol to amplify fragments of the Cryptosporidium heat-shock protein 70 gene, followed by DNA sequencing. Ten calves (6.2%), representing 4 out of 11 farms tested, were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. DNA sequence analysis on five PCR positive samples demonstrated that Cryptosporidium parvum was the only species present in the calves tested, suggesting that there is a potential risk of zoonotic transmission between dairy calves and humans in this region.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 323-6 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Veterinary Parasitology |
| Volume | 160 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Mar 2009 |
Keywords
- Phylogeny
- Animals
- Oocysts
- Humans
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
- Prince Edward Island
- Cryptosporidium parvum
- Gene Amplification
- Cattle Diseases
- Zoonoses
- Base Sequence
- Cattle
- Cryptosporidiosis
- Risk Factors
- Cryptosporidium
- DNA, Protozoan
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Feces
- Female
- Prevalence