AUTHOR=Liu Li , Xu Qunfang , Jiang Aiying , Zeng Fansheng , Zhao Wei , Tan Feng 

TITLE=Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium in wild rodents from the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Liaoning Province, China: assessing host specificity and the potential for zoonotic transmission

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1406564

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1406564

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1001"><title>Introduction</title><p>Wild rodents are key hosts for <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> transmission, yet there is a dearth of information regarding their infection status in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Liaoning Province of China. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence and genetic characteristics of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> among wild rodents residing in these two provinces.</p></sec><sec id="sec2001"><title>Methods</title><p>A total of 486 rodents were captured, and fresh feces were collected from each rodent’s intestine for DNA extraction. Species identification of rodents was performed through PCR amplification of the vertebrate cytochrome b (<italic>cytb</italic>) gene. To detect the presence of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> in all fecal samples, PCR analysis and sequencing of the partial small subunit of the ribosomal RNA (<italic>rRNA</italic>) gene were performed.</p></sec><sec id="sec3001"><title>Results</title><p>Four species of rodents were identified: <italic>Rattus norvegicus</italic>, <italic>Mus musculus</italic>, <italic>Apodemus agrarius</italic>, and <italic>Cricetulus barabensis</italic>. Positive results for <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> were obtained for 9.2% (18/195), 6.6% (7/106), 5.6% (5/89), and 6.3% (6/96) of these rodents, respectively, with an average infection rate of 7.4% (36/486). The identification revealed the presence of five <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> species, <italic>C. ubiquitum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 8), <italic>C. occultus</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 5), <italic>C. muris</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 2), <italic>C. viatorum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1), and <italic>C. ratti</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1), along with two <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> genotypes: Rat genotype III (<italic>n</italic> = 10) and Rat genotype IV (<italic>n</italic> = 9).</p></sec><sec id="sec4001"><title>Discussion</title><p>Based on the molecular evidence presented, the wild rodents investigated were concurrently infected with zoonotic (<italic>C. muris</italic>, <italic>C. occultus</italic>, <italic>C. ubiquitum</italic> and <italic>C. viatorum</italic>) as well as rodent-adapted (<italic>C. ratti</italic> and Rat genotype III and IV) species/genotypes, actively participating in the transmission of cryptosporidiosis.</p></sec>