Cryptosporidiosis

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Horses from communities of the Mapuche native people, Araucanía Region, Chile

BACKGROUND

There are no studies of potential zoonotic diseases in Mapuche communities' horses.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in horses of the Mapuche communities.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Faecal samples from 100 randomly selected horses (n = 100) were taken from rural Mapuche communities from four municipalities from the Araucanía Region. These samples were processed with the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique and grouped by sex, age and municipality.

RESULTS

The general prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 67.0% (n = 67). The prevalence was 51.0% (n = 51) in males and 49.0% (n = 49) in females, and there is no gender association to the presentation of Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence by municipality was 60.0%, 80.0%, 64.0% and 64.0% in Curarrehue, Lonquimay, Padre las Casas and Teodoro Schmidt, respectively. The above shows no significant association between the sector and the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. The prevalence by age was 95.4% of horses tested positive for Cryptosporidium between birth and 6 years of age. About 27.3% of horses were tested positive in the age group between 7 and 10 years. There was no presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the age group older than 11 years, showing a significant relationship between the age of the animal and the presence of Cryptosporidium (P ˂ 0.05).

MAIN LIMITATIONS

The sample analysis did not specifically identify the type of Cryptosporidium, and it was not possible to evaluate the zoonotic risk in the Mapuche communities.

CONCLUSIONS

Cryptosporidium spp. is present in working horses in Mapuche communities, with a 67.7% general prevalence, and there is a significant association between this parasite and the age of the horses, being higher in the age group between 0 and 6 years, with a prevalence of 95.4%. There may be a potential zoonotic risk in the Mapuche communities.

Lessons Learned from Protective Immune Responses to Optimize Vaccines against Cryptosporidiosis

In developing countries, cryptosporidiosis causes moderate-to-severe diarrhea and kills thousands of infants and toddlers annually. Drinking and recreational water contaminated with Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts has led to waterborne outbreaks in developed countries. A competent immune system is necessary to clear this parasitic infection. A better understanding of the immune responses required to prevent or limit infection by this protozoan parasite is the cornerstone of development of an effective vaccine. In this light, lessons learned from previously developed vaccines against Cryptosporidium spp. are at the foundation for development of better next-generation vaccines. In this review, we summarize the immune responses elicited by naturally and experimentally-induced Cryptosporidium spp. infection and by several experimental vaccines in various animal models. Our aim is to increase awareness about the immune responses that underlie protection against cryptosporidiosis and to encourage promotion of these immune responses as a key strategy for vaccine development. Innate and mucosal immunity will be addressed as well as adaptive immunity, with an emphasis on the balance between T_H1/T_H2 immune responses. Development of more effective vaccines against cryptosporidiosis is needed to prevent Cryptosporidium spp.-related deaths in infants and toddlers in developing countries.