Detection and Molecular Characterization of Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. Circulating in Wild Small Mammals from Portugal-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. Circulating in Wild Small Mammals from Portugal

Published:2023-02-01 Issue:3 Volume:13 Page:515
ISSN:2076-2615
Container-title:Animals
language:en
Short-container-title:Animals

Author:

Lux Laura¹^ORCID,Ulrich Rainer G.²^ORCID,Santos-Silva Sérgio³^ORCID,Queirós João⁴⁵^ORCID,Imholt Christian⁶,Klotz Christian⁷,Paupério Joana⁴⁵,Pita Ricardo⁸^ORCID,Vale-Gonçalves Hélia⁹^ORCID,Alves Paulo Célio⁴⁵¹⁰^ORCID,Mesquita João R.³¹¹¹²^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. University of Greifswald, Domstraße 11, 17489 Greifswald, Germany

2. Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

3. Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal

4. CIBIO—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal

5. BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal

6. Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, 48161 Münster, Germany

7. Unit 16 Mycotic and Parasitic Agents and Mycobacteria, Department of Infectious Diseases, Robert Koch-Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany

8. MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, IIFA—Institute for Research and Advanced Training, UBC—Conservation Biology Lab, University of Évora, Mitra Pole, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal

9. Laboratório de Ecologia Fluvial e Terrestre, CITAB—Centro de Investigação e Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biológicas, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal

10. Estação Biológica de Mértola, 7750 Mértola, Portugal

11. Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal

12. Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Rua das Taipas 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. are important diarrhea-causing protozoan parasites worldwide that exhibit broad host ranges. Wild small mammals can harbor host-adapted and potentially zoonotic species of both parasites. The aim of this study was to investigate Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in wild rodents and shrews in Portugal, focusing on the protist’s occurrence and genetic diversity. Molecular screening by PCR at the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene locus of 290 fecal samples from wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), southwestern water voles (Arvicola sapidus), Cabrera’s voles (Microtus cabrerae), Lusitanian pine voles (Microtus lusitanicus), Algerian mice (Mus spretus) and greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula) in Northeast Portugal revealed the low occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. (1%) and high occurrence of Giardia spp. (32.8%). The analysis revealed that “species” was the only significant factor associated with the increasing probability of Giardia spp. infection, with the highest prevalence reported in southwestern water voles and Lusitanian pine voles. Cryptosporidium and Giardia species determination at the SSU rRNA gene locus revealed C. muris and G. microti as the only circulating species, respectively. Subtyping of the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and beta-giardin (bg) genes provided evidence of the high genetic diversity within the G. microti clade. This study suggests that rodent-adapted G. microti occurs to a large extent in cricetid hosts and supports the limited role of wild rodents and shrews as natural sources of human infections in Northeast Portugal regarding the investigated parasites. Moreover, this is the first record of G. microti in southwestern water voles, Lusitanian pine voles, Algerian mice, wood mice and Cabrera’s voles and C. muris in Cabrera’s voles. Finally, this study improves the database of sequences relevant for the sequence typing of G. microti strains and provides new insights about the epidemiology of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in wild rodents and shrews, two parasite genera of high importance for public and animal health.

Funder

FCT

FEDER funds

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology

Link

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/515/pdf

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