Microscopic and Molecular Detection of Cryptosporidium Species in Dogs from the Iğdır Region: Evidence for the Presence of Zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i6.1723-1728.8802Keywords:
Cryptosporidium parvum, Mikroskopi, PCR, Iğdır, TürkiyeAbstract
Cryptosporidium spp. is an important enteric protozoan with zoonotic potential that infects both humans and animals. Data on the incidence and molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs in Türkiye remain limited. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in owned dogs in Iğdır Province. Fecal samples were collected from 146 owned dogs. The fecal samples were analyzed using nested PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Samples positive for Cryptosporidium spp. were sequenced using the Sanger sequencing method, and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Microscopy detected oocysts in 2.05% (3/146) of samples, whereas nested PCR detected positivity in 4.11% (6/146) of samples. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 4.41% in females and 3.85% in males (P > 0.05). The infection rate in dogs younger than one year (6.90%) was higher than that in dogs older than one year (2.27%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). All four successfully sequenced isolates were identified as Cryptosporidium parvum (100% identity to GenBank references) and clustered within the C. parvum lineage in the phylogenetic analysis. The detection of zoonotic C. parvum suggests that dogs in Iğdır may serve as potential reservoirs of infection for humans, particularly in areas where close contact is frequent. This study provides valuable molecular epidemiological data on Cryptosporidium species.
References
Abe, N., Kimata, I., & Iseki, M. (2002a). Identification of genotypes of Cryptosporidium parvum isolates from a patient and a dog in Japan. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 64(2), 165-168.
Abe, N., Sawano, Y., Yamada, K., Aoki, Y., & Iseki, M. (2002b). Cryptosporidium infection in dogs in Osaka, Japan. Veterinary Parasitology, 108(3), 185-193.
Ağaoğlu, Z., Başbuğ, O., & Özpınar, N. (2022). Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs in Sivas City. Fırat Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Veteriner Dergisi, 36(3), 224-228.
Aslan-Celik, B., Yılmaz, R., Çiftçi, T., Ayan, A., Çelik, Ö. Y., & Çelik, B. A. (2024). A survey of the prevalence and genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in shelter dogs in Batman, Turkey. Bulgarian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 27(4), 632-638. https://doi.org/10.15547/bjvm.2022-0113
Ayan, A., Celik, B. A., Celik, O. Y., Yılmaz, R., Aslan Celik, B., & Akgül, G. (2024). First report of zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum subtype IIaA15G2R1 in dogs in Türkiye. Pakistan Veterinary Journal, 44(2), 421-425. https://doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.156
Ayan, A., & Orunç Kılınç, Ö. (2020). Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in diarrheic dogs in Van Province. Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 11(2), 64-68. https://doi.org/10.5336/vetsci.2020-75240
Bugg, R. J., Robertson, I. D., Elliot, A. D., & Thompson, R. C. A. (1999). Gastrointestinal parasites of urban dogs in Perth, Western Australia. The Veterinary Journal, 157(3), 295-301.
Çelik, Ö. Y., Koçhan, A., Çelik, B. A., Ayan, A., & Yılmaz, R. (2023). Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs—Prevalence and genotype distribution. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, 51, Article 1914. https://doi.org/10.22456/1679-9216.124567
de Oliveira, A. G. L., Sudré, A. P., Bergamo do Bomfim, T. C., Almeida, V. L., & Bittencourt, V. R. E. P. (2021). Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs and cats in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, reveals potentially zoonotic species and genotype. PLoS ONE, 16(7), Article e0255087. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255087
Gil, H., Cano, L., de Lucio, A., Bailo, B., de Mingo, M. H., Cardona, G. A., Fernández-Basterra, J. A., Aramburu-Aguirre, J., López-Molina, N., & Carmena, D. (2017). Detection and molecular diversity of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in sheltered dogs and cats in Northern Spain. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 50, 62-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2017.02.013
Hall, T. (2011). BioEdit: An important software for molecular biology. GERF Bulletin of Biosciences, 2(1), 60-61.
Hamnes, I. S., Gjerde, B. K., & Robertson, L. J. (2007). A longitudinal study on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in dogs during their first year of life. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 49(1), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-49-22
Higgins, D. G., Thompson, J. D., & Gibson, T. J. (1996). Using CLUSTAL for multiple sequence alignments. In K. Liu (Ed.), Methods in enzymology (Vol. 266, pp. 383-402). Elsevier.
Jian, F., Qi, M., He, X., Wang, R., Zhang, S., Dong, H., & Xiao, L. (2014). Occurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium in dogs in Henan Province, China. BMC Veterinary Research, 10, Article 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-10-26
Kim, J. T., Wee, S. H., & Lee, C. G. (1998). Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in canine fecal samples by immunofluorescence assay. The Korean Journal of Parasitology, 36(3), 147-149.
Kumar, S., Stecher, G., Suleski, M., Sanderford, M., Sharma, S., & Tamura, K. (2024). MEGA12: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 12 for adaptive and green computing. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 41(11), Article msae263. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msae263
Li, J., Dan, X., Zhu, K., Li, N., Guo, Y., Feng, Y., & Xiao, L. (2019). Genetic characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in dogs and cats in Guangdong, China. Parasites & Vectors, 12, Article 571. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3829-1
Li, W., Li, Y., Song, M., Lu, Y., Yang, J., Tao, W., Jiang, Y., Wan, Q., Zhang, S., & Xiao, L. (2015). Prevalence and genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium, Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in cats and dogs in Heilongjiang province, China. Veterinary Parasitology, 208(3-4), 125-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.01.014
Mirzaei, M. (2012). Epidemiological survey of Cryptosporidium spp. in companion and stray dogs in Kerman, Iran. Veterinaria Italiana, 48(3), 291-296.
Moreira, A. S., Baptista, C. T., Brasil, C. L., Pacheco, A. C. L., & Araújo, F. A. P. (2018). Risk factors and infection due to Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs and cats in southern Rio Grande do Sul. Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária, 27(2), 112-117. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-296120180015
Mundim, M. J. S., Rosa, L. A. G., Hortencio, S. M., Faria, E. S. M., & Rodrigues, R. M. (2007). Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs from different living conditions in Uberlândia, Brazil. Veterinary Parasitology, 144(3-4), 356-359.
Murnik, L. C., Daugschies, A., & Delling, C. (2022). Cryptosporidium infection in young dogs from Germany. Parasitology Research, 121(10), 2985-2993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07619-7
Piekara-Stępińska, A., Piekarska, J., & Gorczykowski, M. (2021). Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs and cats in Poland. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 28(2), 345-347. https://doi.org/10.26444/aaem/118842
Santín, M. (2013). Clinical and subclinical infections with Cryptosporidium in animals. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 61(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2012.731681
Santín, M., & Trout, J. M. (2008). Cryptosporidiosis of companion animals. In R. Fayer & L. Xiao (Eds.), Cryptosporidium and cryptosporidiosis (2nd ed., pp. 437-449). CRC Press.
Sotiriadou, I., Pantchev, N., Gassmann, D., & Karanis, P. (2013). Molecular identification of Giardia and Cryptosporidium from dogs and cats. Parasite, 20, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2013008
Şahin, S., Ağaoğlu, S., & Alemdar, S. (2018). Cryptosporidium ve cryptosporidiosis. In Y. Doğruer (Ed.), Gıda kaynaklı paraziter hastalıklar (Vol. 1, pp. 35-41). Türkiye Klinikleri.
Tamura, K. (1992). Estimation of the number of nucleotide substitutions when there are strong transition-transversion and G+C-content biases. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 9(4), 678-687.
Tangtrongsup, S., Scorza, A. V., Reif, J. S., Ballweber, L. R., Lappin, M. R., & Salman, M. D. (2020). Seasonal distributions and other risk factors for Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. infections in dogs and cats in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 174, Article 104820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104820
Titilincu, A., Mircean, V., Achelaritei, D., & Cozma, V. (2010). Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in asymptomatic dogs by ELISA and risk factors associated with infection. Lucrări Științifice Medicină Veterinară, 43(1), 7-12.
Tzipori, S., & Campbell, I. (1981). Prevalence of Cryptosporidium antibodies in 10 animal species. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 14(4), 455-456.
Uehlinger, F. D., Greenwood, S. J., McClure, J. T., Conboy, G., O'Handley, R., & Barkema, H. W. (2013). Zoonotic potential of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. and prevalence of intestinal parasites in young dogs from different populations on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Veterinary Parasitology, 196(3-4), 509-514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.03.020
Xiao, L., Cama, V. A., Cabrera, L., Ortega, Y., Pearson, J., & Gilman, R. H. (2007). Possible transmission of Cryptosporidium canis among children and a dog in a household. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 45(6), 2014-2016. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00503-07
Xiao, L., & Feng, Y. (2008). Zoonotic cryptosporidiosis. FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, 52(3), 309-323. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2008.00377.x
Xiao, L., Singh, A., Limor, J., Graczyk, T. K., Gradus, S., & Lal, A. (2001). Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium oocysts in samples of raw surface water and wastewater. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 67(3), 1097-1101. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.67.3.1097-1101.2001
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
