title: First report of Cryptosporidium canis in farmed Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cryptosporidium is an important genus of enteric zoonotic parasites, which can infect a wide range of animals including foxes. Little information is available concerning the prevalence and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. in farmed Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in China. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Arctic foxes in China using nested PCR amplification of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Arctic foxes was 15.9 % (48/302), with 12.9 % in male (18/139) and 18.4 % in female (30/163) foxes, respectively. The prevalence in different farms varied from 0 to 31.43 %. The prevalence of infection in different age groups varied from 14.1 % to 19.0 %. Foxes from Hebei Province (7.8 %, 11/141) had a significantly lower Cryptosporidium spp. prevalence than those from Heilongjiang Province (22.9 %, 16/70) and Jilin Province (23.1 %, 21/91) (P= 0.0015). Sequence analysis of the SSU rRNA gene indicated that all the 48 isolates represented C. canis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report of C. canis infection in farmed Arctic foxes in China, which also provides foundation data for preventing and controlling Cryptosporidium infection in foxes, other animals and humans.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. zhangxiaoxuan1988@126.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. zhangxiaoxuan1988@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Xuan
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. messicw@163.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. messicw@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. 15193194055@163.com.
authors.forename: Jian-Gang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. 2395521525@qq.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. 2395521525@qq.com.
authors.forename: Zhi-Long
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. zhengwenwubin@qq.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. zhaoquan0825@163.com.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730046, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin Province, 130118, PR China. xingquanzhu1@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S