title: Morphologic and molecular characterization of new Cyclospora species from Ethiopian monkeys: C. cercopitheci sp.n., C. colobi sp.n., and C. papionis sp.n.
abstract: In recent years, human cyclosporiasis has emerged as an important infection, with large outbreaks in the United States and Canada. Understanding the biology and epidemiology of Cyclospora has been difficult and slow and has been complicated by not knowing the pathogen s origins, animal reservoirs (if any), and relationship to other coccidian parasites. This report provides morphologic and molecular characterization of three parasites isolated from primates and names each isolate: Cyclospora cercopitheci sp.n. for a species recovered from green monkeys, C. colobi sp.n. for a parasite from colobus monkeys, and C. papionis sp.n. for a species infecting baboons. These species, plus C. cayetanensis, which infects humans, increase to four the recognized species of Cyclospora infecting primates. These four species group homogeneously as a single branch intermediate between avian and mammalian Eimeria. Results of our analysis contribute toward clarification of the taxonomic position of Cyclospora and its relationship to other coccidian parasites.
authors.affiliation: Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, USA. mle1@cdc.gov
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Eberhard
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Lilley
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Pieniazek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000469:parasitology*; D003044:Coccidia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003104:Colobus / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010215:Papio / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny