Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Regulation and Health, College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, 233100, People's Republic of China.
Parasitol Res. 2021 Oct;120(10):3519-3527. doi: 10.1007/s00436-021-07191-y. Epub 2021 Aug 21.
Free-range chickens might mediate the spread of Cryptosporidium oocysts to humans and other animals. Few studies have evaluated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in domestic free-range poultry in China. Here, we characterized the prevalence and distribution of species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium in domestic free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in Anhui Province, China. A total of 1910 fresh fecal samples from three poultry species were examined from 18 free-range poultry farms by nested PCR and analysis of the Cryptosporidium SSU rRNA gene. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium species was 2.9% (55/1910), with infection rates of 1.3% (11/829) in chickens, 7.3% (36/487) in ducks, and 1.4% (8/594) in geese. C. baileyi (0.6%), C. meleagridis (0.2%), C. galli (0.2%), and C. xiaoi-like genotype (0.2%) were identified in chickens, and only C. baileyi was identified in ducks and geese, with infection rates of 7.4% and 1.3%, respectively. C. baileyi was the most prevalent species. Sequencing of the GP60 gene revealed that the C. meleagridis isolates belonged to the IIIbA26G1R1b subtype. This is the first study to document C. galli and C. xiaoi-like genotype in domestic free-range chickens in China. These findings expand the range of avian hosts known for Cryptosporidium and highlight the need for additional studies to characterize the diversity of Cryptosporidium in avian species.
散养鸡可能会传播隐孢子虫卵囊至人类和其他动物。很少有研究评估过中国家养散养禽类中隐孢子虫的流行情况。本研究描述了中国安徽省家养散养鸡、鸭和鹅中隐孢子虫的流行情况和种系发生特征。通过巢式 PCR 和隐孢子虫 SSU rRNA 基因分析，从安徽省 18 个散养禽场的 1910 份新鲜粪便样本中检测到隐孢子虫。隐孢子虫的总感染率为 2.9%（55/1910），其中鸡的感染率为 1.3%（11/829），鸭的感染率为 7.3%（36/487），鹅的感染率为 1.4%（8/594）。鸡中鉴定出 C. baileyi（0.6%）、C. meleagridis（0.2%）、C. galli（0.2%）和 C. xiaoi-like 基因型（0.2%），鸭和鹅中仅鉴定出 C. baileyi，感染率分别为 7.4%和 1.3%。C. baileyi 是最常见的种。GP60 基因测序显示，C. meleagridis 分离株属于 IIIbA26G1R1b 亚型。这是首次在中国家养散养鸡中发现 C. galli 和 C. xiaoi-like 基因型。这些发现扩大了已知隐孢子虫宿主禽类的范围，强调了需要进一步研究以描述禽类中隐孢子虫的多样性。
