Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
J Infect Dev Ctries. 2021 Mar 31;15(3):422-427. doi: 10.3855/jidc.12122.
Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease causing digestive problems in pre-weaned calves. Considering the zoonosis of the parasite and its importance in veterinary medicine, we evaluated the prevalence and genotyping of Cryptosporidium spp. in diarrheic pre-weaned calves in the northwest of Iran.
A total of 100 stool samples of the infant calves with diarrhea were collected from industrial and conventional livestock farms in Urmia City. All the samples were tested with acid-fast staining, ELISA, and PCR. Positive samples of the PCR method were sequenced to determine the Cryptosporidium species. The obtained results were compared for the mentioned methods based on statistical factors, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, as well as duration of the experiment and the costs of testing.
The results of this study showed that the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in diarrheic infant calves in Urmia city was 5%, and C. parvum species of Cryptosporidium was detected in all the sequenced samples. According to the findings of the current study, the most appropriate method for the detection of the parasite is the ELISA that has a higher sensitivity and predictive value than acid-fast staining method and should be used in veterinary laboratories.
In the current investigation, C. parvum was identified as the only infectious agent in the region and could be the main cause of human infection. More studies are needed to find the source of infection for establishing the control measures.
隐孢子虫病是一种引起未断奶小牛消化问题的人畜共患病。考虑到寄生虫的人畜共患病和在兽医医学中的重要性，我们评估了伊朗西北部腹泻性未断奶小牛中隐孢子虫属的流行率和基因分型。
从乌尔米亚市的工业和常规牲畜养殖场采集了 100 份腹泻婴儿牛的粪便样本。所有样本均采用酸性染色、酶联免疫吸附试验和 PCR 进行检测。对 PCR 方法的阳性样本进行测序，以确定隐孢子虫种类。根据统计因素、敏感性、特异性、阳性和阴性预测值以及实验持续时间和测试成本，比较了上述方法的结果。
本研究结果表明，乌尔米亚市腹泻婴儿牛隐孢子虫属的流行率为 5%，所有测序样本均检测到隐孢子虫属的小隐孢子虫。根据本研究的发现，检测寄生虫的最合适方法是 ELISA，其敏感性和预测值高于酸性染色法，应在兽医实验室中使用。
在本次调查中，鉴定出小隐孢子虫是该地区唯一的感染源，可能是人类感染的主要原因。需要进一步研究以找到感染源，从而制定控制措施。
