Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium in beef cattle in Xinjiang, China and first report subtype IIdA16G1 of C. parvum in China.
Zhang Bowen B, Zhang Xu X, Su Duoduo D, Wang Yuanmeng Y et al.
A total of 558 fecal samples from beef cattle were collected across five counties in Xinjiang, China, and tested for Cryptosporidium using nested PCR targeting the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene. The overall infection rate of Cryptosporidium was found to be 20.6% (115/558). Notably, the highest infection rate, 32.8% (43/131), was observed in post-weaned calves, followed by pre-weaned calves at 29.0% (38/131), juvenile cattle at 16.5% (21/127), and adult cattle at 7.7% (13/169). Four species of Cryptosporidium were identified: C. parvum (n = 21), C. bovis (n = 62), C. ryanae (n = 17), and C. andersoni (n = 15). Sequence analysis of the gp60 gene revealed two subtypes of C. parvum, specifically IIdA19G1 (n = 2) and IIdA16G1 (n = 11). Additionally, five subtype families of C. bovis were identified: XXVIa (n = 7), XXVIb (n = 5), XXVIc (n = 6), XXVId (n = 7), and XXVIf (n = 8). For C. ryanae, three subtype families were identified: XXIc (n = 1), XXIf (n = 1), and XXIg (n = 8). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the identified C. parvum subtypes clustered within a subclade alongside sequences from both domestic and international sources, as well as from various hosts. The subtype sequences of C. bovis and C. ryanae were found to group into larger clades with subtype sequences from cattle in different regions of China, demonstrating no significant genetic evolutionary divergence. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the subtype IIdA16G1 of C. parvum in cattle within China. These findings underscore the high genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. in beef cattle in Xinjiang, thereby enriching the understanding of the population genetic structure of Cryptosporidium spp. in this region.