A novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction approach for detection of four human infective Cryptosporidium isolates: Cryptosporidium parvum, types H and C, Cryptosporidium canis, and Cryptosporidium felis in fecal and soil samples

The first report of Cryptosporidium spp. in Microtus fuscus (Qinghai vole) and Ochotona curzoniae (wild plateau pika) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area, China

Cryptosporidium is one of the most important genera of intestinal zoonotic pathogens, which can infect various hosts and cause diarrhoea. There is little available information about the molecular characterisation and epidemiological prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Microtus fuscus (Qinghai vole) and Ochotona curzoniae (wild plateau pika) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine Cryptosporidium species/genotypes and epidemiological prevalence in these mammals by detecting the SSU rRNA gene by PCR amplification. The Cryptosporidium spp. infection rate was 8.9% (8/90) in Qinghai voles and 6.25% (4/64) in wild plateau pikas. Positive samples were successfully sequenced, and the following Cryptosporidium species were found: C. parvum, C. ubiquitum, C. canis and a novel genotype in Qinghai voles and C. parvum and a novel genotype in wild plateau pikas. This is the first report of Cryptosporidium infections in M. fuscus and wild O. curzoniae in Northwest China. The results suggest the possibility of Cryptosporidium species transmission among these two hosts, the environment, other animals and humans and provide useful molecular epidemiological data for the prevention and control of Cryptosporidium infections in wild animals and the surrounding environments. The results of the present study indicate the existence of Cryptosporidium species infections that have potential public health significance. This is the first report of Cryptosporidium multi-species infections in these animal hosts.

A multiplex PCR test to identify four common cattle-adapted Cryptosporidium species

Cryptosporidiumis a well-known cause of neonatal enteritis in cattle worldwide. Cattle are commonly infected with four different species ofCryptosporidiumbut only one of these,Cryptosporidium parvum, is associated with clinical disease. Identification of species in cases of calf scour can give an indication ifCryptosporidiumis the causative agent or not. In addition,C. parvumis a zoonotic species and so has implications for human health, for this reason it is important to identify the species ofCryptosporidiuminfecting cattle particularly where a farm is implicated in an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in humans. Here a multiplex PCR test, which can identify the four common cattle-adaptedCryptosporidiumspecies, includingC. parvum, has been developed. This test allows quick and accurate detection ofCryptosporidiumspecies in cattle fecal samples including mixed infections, which could be missed by the more common method of sequencing the same gene.

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay to simultaneously distinguish Cryptosporidium species of veterinary and public health concern in cattle

Four species of Cryptosporidium are routinely found in cattle: Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium bovis, Cryptosporidium ryanae, and Cryptosporidium andersoni. It is important to determine the species of Cryptosporidium in infected cattle because C. parvum is the only serious pathogen for humans as well as cattle. Identification of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes currently relies on molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) or gene sequencing. Incorporation of these techniques in a routine veterinary diagnostic laboratory is cost prohibitive. As such, their applications are limited primarily to research and a few public health laboratories. To overcome this problem, a multiplex PCR assay was developed for simultaneously detecting the 4 species of Cryptosporidium that commonly infect cattle. This assay specifically identifies Cryptosporidium oocysts present in cattle feces, improves the detection of mixed infections, reduces the time and cost relative to current sequencing methods, and further demonstrates the shortcomings of sequencing as the definitive method for identification when analyzing samples containing mixed infections.

Risk of infection with Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis in dairy cattle in the New York City watershed

OBJECTIVE

To determine the risk posed by Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis from dairy cattle in the New York City watershed (NYCW).

SAMPLE POPULATION

Samples from cattle at risk for shedding Cryptosporidium organisms on randomly selected dairy farms in the NYCW.

PROCEDURE

Feces were collected for 4 years from calves at risk for infection on 37 dairies. Oocysts were detected by use of centrifugation concentration-flotation microscopy. The DNA was directly isolated from fecal samples and used to amplify fragments of the small subunit ribosomal RNA and thrombospondin-related adhesion protein C-2 genes by use of nested polymerase chain reaction assays. Small subunit ribosomal RNA fragments were restriction digested by the enzyme Vspl and thrombospondin-related adhesion protein C-2 fragments were digested by Eco91l to distinguish between C hominis (formerly known as genotype 1) and C parvum (formerly known as genotype 2).

RESULTS

Of 437 fecal samples examined, 214 contained oocysts. Amplicons were generated for 200 samples. We can be certain, with 95% confidence, that cattle in the NYCW did not harbor C hominis.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Cryptosporidium infections in cattle are under examination because of the potential contamination of public waters by manure. Although cattle may be the source of zoonotic infection via C parvum, they pose little risk for C hominis (the strain commonly isolated from humans in waterborne outbreaks of disease). Other sources of oocysts should be considered when investigating outbreaks attributable to contaminated urban drinking water because cattle pose only a small risk via shedding of C hominis.

Concentrating, purifying and detecting waterborne parasites

There has been recent emphasis on developing better methods for detecting diseases of zoonotic and veterinary importance. This has been prompted by an increase in human disease agents detectable in environmental samples, the potential for bioterrorism, and the lowering of international trade barriers and expansion of personal travel, which are bringing previously considered exotic diseases to new geographical localities. To appreciate the complexities of developing detection methods and working with environmental samples, it is appropriate to review technologies currently in use, as well as those in development and presently limited to research laboratories. Discussion of parasite detection would not be possible without including methods for parasite sampling, concentration, and purification because it is often necessary to process large sample volumes prior to analysis, and no reliable methods are available for significantly amplifying parasites in vitro. Reviewing proven methods currently in use will provide a baseline for generating, accepting and implementing the more sensitive and specific methods under development today.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for detection of African trypanosomes

While PCR is a method of choice for the detection of African trypanosomes in both humans and animals, the expense of this method negates its use as a diagnostic method for the detection of endemic trypanosomiasis in African countries. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction is a method that amplifies DNA with high specificity, efficiency, and rapidity under isothermal conditions with only simple incubators. An added advantage of LAMP over PCR-based methods is that DNA amplification can be monitored spectrophotometrically and/or with the naked eye without the use of dyes. Here we report our conditions for a highly sensitive, specific, and easy diagnostic assay based on LAMP technology for the detection of parasites in the Trypanosoma brucei group (including T. brucei brucei, T. brucei gambiense, T. brucei rhodesiense, and T. evansi) and T. congolense. We show that the sensitivity of the LAMP-based method for detection of trypanosomes in vitro is up to 100 times higher than that of PCR-based methods. In vivo studies in mice infected with human-infective T. brucei gambiense further highlight the potential clinical importance of LAMP as a diagnostic tool for the identification of African trypanosomiasis.