Molecular Identification and Genotyping of Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp. in Cattle in Representative Areas of Shanxi Province, North China

Abstract

Both Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp. are common intestinal protozoa, which can cause zoonotic diseases and economic losses to livestock industry. To evaluate the prevalence and genetic population structure of Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp. in beef and dairy cattle in Shanxi Province, north China, a total of 795 fecal samples were collected from beef and dairy cattle in three representative counties in Shanxi Province, and these fecal samples were examined using molecular approaches based on 18S small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) of Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp., respectively. Among 795 cattle fecal samples, 23 were detected as Cryptosporidium-positive and 103 were detected as Blastocystis-positive, and the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp. in cattle in Shanxi Province was 2.9% and 13.0%, respectively. For Cryptosporidium spp., DNA sequence analysis indicated that all 23 positive samples were identified as C. andersoni. Furthermore, five known subtypes (ST1, ST10, ST14, ST21 and ST26) and three unknown subtypes of Blastocystis sp. were detected among 103 positive samples using DNA sequence analysis. This study reported the occurrence and prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis sp. in cattle in Shanxi Province for the first time, which extends the geographical distribution of these two zoonotic parasites and provides baseline data for the prevention and control of these two important zoonotic parasites in cattle in Shanxi Province.

Keywords: Blastocystis sp.; Cryptosporidium spp.; Shanxi Province; cattle; genotypes; prevalence; subtypes.

Figure 1

A map showing the sampling sites in Shanxi Province in this study. The map was made by ArcGIS10.8 and based on data from the Resource and Environmental Science and Data Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The color of red, gray and green in the map of Shanxi Province represent the northern, central and southern regions of Shanxi Province, respectively.

Figure 2

The Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method was used to analyze the phylogenetic relationship of Cryptosporidium species and/or genotypes identified in this study (marked with circles) and reported DNA sequences. Bootstrap value is shown when >50%.

Figure 3

The Neighbor-Joining (NJ) method was used to analyze the phylogenetic relationship of Blastocystis subtypes identified in this study (marked with triangles) and reported DNA sequences. Bootstrap value is shown when >50%.