title: Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in Guangdong Province, Southern China.
abstract: To investigate the prevalence and assess the zoonotic transmission burden of Cryptosporidium species in domestic pigeons in Guangdong Province, Southern China, 244 fecal samples were collected from four pigeon breeding farms between June 2012 and March 2013. Cryptosporidium oocysts were purified by Sheather's sugar flotation technique and characterized by DNA sequencing of small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. Cryptosporidium species were determined by comparison of sequences with corresponding Cryptosporidium sequences in GenBank and phylogenetic analysis using neighbor-joining (NJ) in MEGA5.2. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in domestic pigeons in Guangdong Province was 0.82% (2/244). Two Cryptosporidium species, namely Cryptosporidium baileyi and Cryptosporidium meleagridis, were identified in Huizhou and Chaozhou farm, respectively. These findings confirmed the existence of C. meleagridis infection in domestic pigeons in China for the first time and provided base-line information for further studies to evaluate the public health risk from pigeon to human.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, 510642, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuhui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Longxian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Nanshan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Shenquan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Caiyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Mingfei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D010856:Columbidae; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces; D006801:Humans; D033661:Oocysts; D010802:Phylogeny; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D054679:Ribosome Subunits, Small / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D016053:RNA, Protozoan