title: Zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium meleagridis on an organic Swedish farm.
abstract: We believe that we present the first evidence of zoonotic transmission of the bird parasite, Cryptosporidium meleagridis. Despite being the third most common cause of human cryptosporidiosis, an identified zoonotic source has not been reported to date. We found Cryptosporidium oocysts in pigs, sheep/goats, hens and broiler chickens on a farm with suspected zoonotic transmission. By DNA analysis we identified C. meleagridis in samples from one human, three chickens and one hen. Sequencing of the ssrRNA and 70kDa Heat Shock Protein (HSP) genes showed identical C. meleagridis sequences in the human and chicken samples, which is evidence of zoonotic transmission. The HSP70 sequence was unique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health andAntimicrobial Strategies, National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden. charlotte.silverlas@slu.se
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silverlås
authors.forename: Jens G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Mattsson
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Insulander
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lebbad
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005506:Food Contamination; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*