Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium andersoni infection in naturally infected cattle of northwest Iran

Abstract

The protozoan intestinal parasite <em>Cryptosporidium</em> commonly infects cattle throughout the world and Iran. The present study was undertaken to determine the abundance and associated risk factors of <em>Cryptosporidium</em> infection in cattle herds of northwestern Iran. A total number of 246 fecal samples from 138 (56.1%) diarrheic (D) and 108 (43.9%) non-diarrheic (ND) cattle were randomly collected and examined by fecal smears stained with Ziehl-Neelsen. For molecular specification, DNA was extracted from collected <em>Cryptosporidium</em> oocysts and a fragment of 1325 bp in size from 18S rRNA gene was amplified. The overall prevalence of <em>Cryptosporidium </em>infection was 22.3% (55/246). The prevalence of <em>Cryptosporidium</em> infection in examined calves less than 6 month-old was significantly higher than adult cattle. <em>C. parvum</em> and <em>C. andersoni</em> were identified in 20.3% (50/246) and 2.03% (5/246) of examined cattle, respectively. The highest prevalence of <em>C. parvum </em>infection was found in D calves < 6 month-old (13.4%, 33/246), while <em>C. andersoni</em> was only detected in ND cattle (8.9%, 22/246). There was significant difference in the prevalence between male than female cattle. There was no significant difference between prevalence and seasons of investigation. It was concluded that <em>C. parvum</em> was the prevalent species in younger animals compared to older ones as a potentially zoonotic agent in the region.