title: Cryptosporidium proliferans n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae): Molecular and Biological Evidence of Cryptic Species within Gastric Cryptosporidium of Mammals.
abstract: The morphological, biological, and molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium muris strain TS03 are described, and the species name Cryptosporidium proliferans n. sp. is proposed. Cryptosporidium proliferans obtained from a naturally infected East African mole rat (Tachyoryctes splendens) in Kenya was propagated under laboratory conditions in rodents (SCID mice and southern multimammate mice, Mastomys coucha) and used in experiments to examine oocyst morphology and transmission. DNA from the propagated C. proliferans isolate, and C. proliferans DNA isolated from the feces of an African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Central African Republic, a donkey (Equus africanus) in Algeria, and a domestic horse (Equus caballus) in the Czech Republic were used for phylogenetic analyses. Oocysts of C. proliferans are morphologically distinguishable from C. parvum and C. muris HZ206, measuring 6.8-8.8 (mean = 7.7 μm) × 4.8-6.2 μm (mean = 5.3) with a length to width ratio of 1.48 (n = 100). Experimental studies using an isolate originated from T. splendens have shown that the course of C. proliferans infection in rodent hosts differs from that of C. muris and C. andersoni. The prepatent period of 18-21 days post infection (DPI) for C. proliferans in southern multimammate mice (Mastomys coucha) was similar to that of C. andersoni and longer than the 6-8 DPI prepatent period for C. muris RN66 and HZ206 in the same host. Histopatologicaly, stomach glands of southern multimammate mice infected with C. proliferans were markedly dilated and filled with necrotic material, mucus, and numerous Cryptosporidium developmental stages. Epithelial cells of infected glands were atrophic, exhibited cuboidal or squamous metaplasia, and significantly proliferated into the lumen of the stomach, forming papillary structures. The epithelial height and stomach weight were six-fold greater than in non-infected controls. Phylogenetic analyses based on small subunit rRNA, Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein, thrombospondin-related adhesive protein of Cryptosporidium-1, heat shock protein 70, actin, heat shock protein 90 (MS2), MS1, MS3, and M16 gene sequences revealed that C. proliferans is genetically distinct from C. muris and other previously described Cryptosporidium species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kváč
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Havrdová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hlásková
authors.affiliation: Grammar School and High School of Economics, Vimperk, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tereza
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daňková
authors.affiliation: Grammar School and High School of Economics, Vimperk, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kanděra
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ježková
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vítovec
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Bohumil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sak
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Safety, Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ynes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.|Department of Pathology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.|CEITEC VFU, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Modrý
authors.affiliation: Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jeba Rose Jennifer Jesudoss
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Chelladurai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prantlová
authors.affiliation: Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, United States of America.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McEvoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000469:parasitology; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D019577:Mole Rats; D033661:Oocysts / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny