Zhang Xueyong, Jian Yingna, Li Xiuping, Ma Liqing, Karanis Gabriele, Karanis Panagiotis
State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture Qinghai University, Center for Biomedicine and Infectious Disease, Qinghai Academy of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, 1#Wei'er Road, Biological Scientific Estate Garden, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, People's Republic of China.
Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital, Xining City, 810016, Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China.
Parasitol Res. 2018 May;117(5):1401-1407. doi: 10.1007/s00436-018-5827-5. Epub 2018 Mar 12.
Cryptosporidium is one of the most important genera of intestinal zoonotic pathogens, which can infect various hosts and cause diarrhoea. There is little available information about the molecular characterisation and epidemiological prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Microtus fuscus (Qinghai vole) and Ochotona curzoniae (wild plateau pika) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine Cryptosporidium species/genotypes and epidemiological prevalence in these mammals by detecting the SSU rRNA gene by PCR amplification. The Cryptosporidium spp. infection rate was 8.9% (8/90) in Qinghai voles and 6.25% (4/64) in wild plateau pikas. Positive samples were successfully sequenced, and the following Cryptosporidium species were found: C. parvum, C. ubiquitum, C. canis and a novel genotype in Qinghai voles and C. parvum and a novel genotype in wild plateau pikas. This is the first report of Cryptosporidium infections in M. fuscus and wild O. curzoniae in Northwest China. The results suggest the possibility of Cryptosporidium species transmission among these two hosts, the environment, other animals and humans and provide useful molecular epidemiological data for the prevention and control of Cryptosporidium infections in wild animals and the surrounding environments. The results of the present study indicate the existence of Cryptosporidium species infections that have potential public health significance. This is the first report of Cryptosporidium multi-species infections in these animal hosts.
隐孢子虫是最重要的肠道人畜共患病原体属之一，可感染多种宿主并引起腹泻。在中国西北部青海省青藏高原地区，关于青海田鼠和高原鼠兔体内隐孢子虫物种的分子特征和流行病学流行情况的可用信息很少。因此，本研究的目的是通过PCR扩增检测小亚基核糖体RNA（SSU rRNA）基因，以确定这些哺乳动物体内的隐孢子虫种类/基因型和流行病学流行情况。青海田鼠的隐孢子虫感染率为8.9%（8/90），高原鼠兔的感染率为6.25%（4/64）。对阳性样本成功进行了测序，发现青海田鼠体内有微小隐孢子虫、泛在隐孢子虫、犬隐孢子虫和一种新基因型，高原鼠兔体内有微小隐孢子虫和一种新基因型。这是中国西北部青海田鼠和野生高原鼠兔隐孢子虫感染的首次报道。结果表明隐孢子虫物种在这两种宿主、环境、其他动物和人类之间传播的可能性，并为野生动物和周围环境中隐孢子虫感染的预防和控制提供了有用的分子流行病学数据。本研究结果表明存在具有潜在公共卫生意义的隐孢子虫物种感染。这是这些动物宿主中隐孢子虫多物种感染的首次报道。
