Departamento Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez S/N, 38203, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico F. Sánchez S/N, 38203, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
Parasitol Res. 2024 Jul 17;123(7):274. doi: 10.1007/s00436-024-08290-2.
The North African hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) is an introduced species from Northwest Africa and is currently distributed in the Canary Islands. This species of hedgehog has been studied as a reservoir of enteropathogens, including Cryptosporidium spp. However, there are no data at species level. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the Cryptosporidium species present in a population of hedgehogs (n = 36) in the Canary Islands. Molecular screening was performed using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene of Cryptosporidium spp. Seven of the 36 fecal samples (19.45%) were positive and confirmed by nested PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene and Sanger sequencing. Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium muris were identified in 11.1% (4/36) and 5.6% (2/36) of the samples, respectively, while one sample could only be identified at the genus level. The zoonotic subtypes IIdA15G1 (n = 1), IIdA16G1b (n = 1), and IIdA22G1 (n = 1) of C. parvum were identified by nested PCR followed by analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene sequence. This study is the first genetic characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in A. algirus, identifying zoonotic species and subtypes of the parasite.
北非刺猬（Atelerix algirus）是一种来自西北非的引入物种，目前分布在加那利群岛。这种刺猬已被研究为肠病原体的宿主，包括隐孢子虫属。然而，目前还没有在物种水平上的数据。因此，本研究旨在鉴定加那利群岛刺猬种群中存在的隐孢子虫物种（n=36）。使用针对隐孢子虫属的小亚基核糖体 RNA（18S rRNA）基因的常规聚合酶链反应（PCR）进行分子筛选。36 份粪便样本中的 7 份（19.45%）呈阳性，并通过针对 18S rRNA 基因和 Sanger 测序的嵌套 PCR 确认。在 11.1%（4/36）和 5.6%（2/36）的样本中分别鉴定出微小隐孢子虫和鼠隐孢子虫，而一个样本只能在属水平上鉴定。通过嵌套 PCR followed by 分析 60 kDa 糖蛋白（gp60）基因序列，鉴定出微小隐孢子虫的 1IdA15G1（n=1）、1IdA16G1b（n=1）和 1IdA22G1（n=1）等动物源亚型。本研究首次对 A. algirus 中的隐孢子虫属进行了遗传特征鉴定，鉴定出了寄生虫的动物源种和亚型。
