title: Occurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in dairy cattle, beef cattle and water buffaloes in China.
abstract: Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important protists in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, causing diarrheal diseases. Cattle are considered potential reservoirs of Cryptosporidium infection in humans, although their role in the transmission of E. bieneusi is not clear. In the present work, 793 fecal specimens from dairy cattle, native beef cattle, and water buffaloes on 11 farms in China were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi using nested PCR targeting the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene of Cryptosporidium spp. and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of E. bieneusi. For Cryptosporidium, 144/446 (32.3%) dairy cattle, 44/166 (26.5%) beef cattle, and 43/181 (23.8%) water buffaloes were PCR-positive. Sequence analysis was successful for 213 of the 231 Cryptosporidium-positive isolates; among them 94 had Cryptosporidium andersoni, 61 had Cryptosporidium bovis, 54 had Cryptosporidium ryanae, 2 had a Cryptosporidium suis-like genotype, and 2 had mixed infections of C. bovis and C. ryanae. In dairy and beef cattle, C. andersoni and C. bovis were the most common species, whereas C. ryanae was the dominant species in water buffaloes. The latter species produced SSU rRNA sequences different between cattle and water buffaloes. For E. bieneusi, the infection rate of E. bieneusi in dairy cattle, beef cattle and water buffaloes was 4.9%, 5.4% and 2.2%, respectively. All 35 E. bieneusi-positive specimens were successfully sequenced, revealing the presence of four genotypes: three Group 2 genotypes previously reported in cattle as well as humans (I, J and BEB4) and one Group 1 genotype recently reported in yaks (CHN11). Genotypes I and J were the most common genotypes in dairy and beef cattle, while genotype CHN11 was the only genotype seen in water buffaloes. Thus, the distribution of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in water buffaloes might be different from in dairy and beef cattle in China. These findings indicate that some of the Cryptosporidium species and all four E. bieneusi genotypes identified in bovine animals in the study areas may have zoonotic potential.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Jingbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Yueyang Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Yueyang, Hunan 414000, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Hailing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Wenxian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Yuanfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Yaqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China. Electronic address: yyfeng@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yaoyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D021862:Enterocytozoon / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020459:Genes, rRNA / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D016881:Microsporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Cattle; Cryptosporidium; Enterocytozoon bieneusi; ITS; Nested PCR; SSU rRNA gene