Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
Institute of Food Research and Analysis, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
Parasitol Res. 2020 Jan;119(1):249-254. doi: 10.1007/s00436-019-06529-x. Epub 2019 Nov 22.
Studies on the prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. affecting feral horses are scarce. The highland areas of the northern Iberian Peninsula are home to a large population of wild ponies which generally roam free in the ancient natural range and are subjected to a traditional exploitation regime. In the present study, a total of 79 non-diarrhoeal faecal samples from the wild ponies were collected from the ground immediately after defecation. Cryptosporidium was detected in 10 of the samples (12.6%) by a direct immunofluorescence antibody test and DNA amplification and sequencing. Analysis of partial sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) and heat shock protein (hsp70) loci revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum. In addition, amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) locus identified C. parvum subtypes IIaA15G2R1 and IIaA16G3R1. This study reports, for the first time, the occurrence of C. parvum in wild ponies in Europe, specifically in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Identification of the common subtype IIaA15G2R1 and also subtype IIaA16G3R1 (first description) indicates that these hosts may play a role in the sylvatic transmission of C. parvum and that they may act as a reservoir of zoonotic cryptosporidiosis.
目前针对影响野马的隐孢子虫属（Cryptosporidium spp.）的流行情况和分子特征的研究十分匮乏。伊比利亚半岛北部的高地是大量野生小马的家园，它们通常在古老的自然栖息地中自由漫游，并受到传统的开发利用制度的制约。在本研究中，从野外小马的 79 份非腹泻粪便样本中，直接免疫荧光抗体试验和 DNA 扩增及测序检测到 10 份（12.6%）样本中存在隐孢子虫。小亚基核糖体 RNA（SSU-rRNA）和热休克蛋白（hsp70）基因座的部分序列分析显示存在微小隐孢子虫（Cryptosporidium parvum）。此外，对 60kDa 糖蛋白（GP60）基因座的片段进行扩增和测序，鉴定出微小隐孢子虫亚型 IIaA15G2R1 和 IIaA16G3R1。本研究首次报道了欧洲（具体为伊比利亚半岛北部）野生小马中存在微小隐孢子虫。常见亚型 IIaA15G2R1 和 IIaA16G3R1（首次描述）的鉴定表明，这些宿主可能在微小隐孢子虫的森林传播中发挥作用，它们可能是动物源性隐孢子虫病的传染源。
