AUTHOR=Wang Weijian , Wei Yanting , Cao Shuhui , Wu Wenjie , Zhao Wentao , Guo Yaqiong , Xiao Lihua , Feng Yaoyu , Li Na 

TITLE=Divergent Cryptosporidium species and host-adapted Cryptosporidium canis subtypes in farmed minks, raccoon dogs and foxes in Shandong, China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.980917

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2022.980917

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. are common parasitic pathogens causing diarrhea in humans and various animals. Fur animals are widely farmed in Shandong Province, China, but the prevalence and genetic identity of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. in them are unclear. In this study, 1,211 fecal samples were collected from 602 minks, 310 raccoon dogs and 299 foxes on two farms in Shandong and analyzed for <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. by nested PCR and sequence analyses of the small subunit rRNA gene. The overall infection rate of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. was 31.5% (381/1,211), with a higher infection rate in raccoon dogs (37.7%, 117/310) than in foxes (32.4%, 97/299) and minks (27.7%, 167/602). By age, the highest infection rates of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. were observed in raccoon dogs of 1-2 months, minks of 5-6 months, and foxes of &gt; 12 months. Three <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> species and genotypes were detected, including <italic>C. canis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 279), <italic>C. meleagridis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 65) and <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> mink genotype (<italic>n</italic> = 37). Among the three major host species, raccoon dogs were infected with <italic>C. canis</italic> only (<italic>n</italic> = 117), while foxes were infected with both <italic>C. canis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 32) and <italic>C. meleagridis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 65), and minks with <italic>C. canis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 130) and <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> mink genotype (<italic>n</italic> = 37). Subtyping of <italic>C. canis</italic> by sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein gene identified eight subtypes. They belonged to two known subtype families, XXa and XXd, and two novel subtype families XXf and XXg, with host adaptation at the subtype family level. Notably, <italic>C. canis</italic> from foxes was genetically distant from those in other hosts. Further subtyping analysis identified three subtypes (IIIeA21G2R1, IIIeA19G2R1 and IIIeA17G2R1) of <italic>C. meleagridis</italic> and two novel subtype families Xf and Xg of the <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> mink genotype. The presence of zoonotic <italic>C. canis</italic> subtypes in raccoon dogs and <italic>C. meleagridis</italic> subtypes in foxes suggests that these fur animals might be potential reservoirs for human-pathogenic <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp.</p>