Identification and characterization of a Chinese isolate of Cryptosporidium serpentis from dairy cattle

• Published in: Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 111; no. 4; pp. 1785 - 1791
• Main Authors: Chen, Fu, Qiu, Huiling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-10-2012; Springer
• Subjects: Analysis; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - parasitology; Chemical properties; Chickens; Cladistic analysis; Cluster Analysis; Cryptosporidiosis - parasitology; Cryptosporidiosis - veterinary; Cryptosporidium - classification; Cryptosporidium - cytology; Cryptosporidium - genetics; Cryptosporidium - isolation & purification; Dairy cattle; DNA, Protozoan - chemistry; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General aspects and techniques. Study of several systematic groups. Models; Genes, rRNA; Heat shock proteins; Host Specificity; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Immunology; Invertebrates; Medical Microbiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbiology; Microscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Original Paper; Phylogeny; Rabbits; RNA; RNA, Protozoan - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Zealand White Rabbit; Cryptosporidium Species; Dairy Cattle; White Leghorn Chicken; Digital Image Analysis; Characterization; Protozoa; Cryptosporidium; Apicomplexa; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Dairy cattle; Parasite; Artiodactyla; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0932-0113; 1432-1955
• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-012-3024-5

Cryptosporidium serpentis
, a protozoan observed first in snakes, has also been found in lizards and other reptiles. However, there are few reports of the characteristics of
C. serpentis
isolated from humans and other animals. The present study was undertaken to characterize a
C. serpentis
isolate from a calf in terms of morphology, host specificity, and small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) gene sequences. Oocysts of the isolate measured 6.32 × 5.18 μm, and they had a length/width shape index of 1.22. A cross-transmission study demonstrated that the isolate was infectious in the stomach of BALB/c mice, but not in New Zealand white rabbits or white leghorn chickens. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA and HSP 70 gene revealed that the isolate was identical to
C. serpentis
, and it was classified in a monophyletic group of
C. serpentis
. This study is the first description of the characteristics of a
C. serpentis
isolate from dairy cattle and may contribute to a better understanding of
C. serpentis
and investigations of the prevalence of
Cryptosporidium
in cattle.