Cryptosporidium parvum: From foal to veterinary students.
Abstract: This paper describes the transmission of a zoonotic subtype of Cryptosporidium parvum between two foals hospitalized in an Equine Perinatology Unit (EPU) linked to an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in veterinary students. Fecal specimens of 36 mares (105 samples) and 28 foals (122 samples) were subjected to Ziehl-Neelsen staining, nested PCR of 18S rDNA. Two foals tested positive for Cryptosporidium; PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis and subtyping by nested PCR of the 60kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene revealed C. parvum subtype IIdA23G1. The introduction of Cryptosporidium into the EPU is suspected to be in a foal showing no initial clinical signs that tested positive for C. parvum during an asymptomatic phase. A second foal, hospitalized afterwards for perinatal asphyxia syndrome complicated with failure of passive transfer and sepsis, showed severe watery diarrhea after 4 days of hospitalization and was positive for the same subtype. During this period, six students attending the EPU complained of abdominal pain and diarrhea and were positive for the same subtype of C. parvum. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of this subtype in foals and the first report of evidence of zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis from foals to human.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2016-02-03 PubMed ID: 26921039DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.02.001Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article outlines an incident where a zoonotic strain of Cryptosporidium parvum was transmitted from two foals to veterinary students in an Equine Perinatology Unit (EPU). This is believed to be the first recorded instance of this subtype being found in foals and also of cryptosporidiosis passing from foals to humans.
Research Methodology
- The researchers collected faecal specimen from 36 mares (105 samples) and 28 foals (122 samples) in an EPU setting and tested them using Ziehl-Neelsen staining and nested PCR of 18S rDNA.
- Of the samples, two foals tested positive for Cryptosporidium. Further analysis using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and subtyping by nested PCR of the 60kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene revealed that the infecting strain was a zoonotic subtype of Cryptosporidium parvum, specifically IIdA23G1.
The Situation in the Equine Perinatology Unit
- The introduction of the disease into the EPU is believed to have come from a foal that initially showed no symptoms but later tested positive for the identified strain during an asymptomatic phase.
- A second foal admitted for perinatal asphyxia syndrome developed severe diarrhea after four days in the EPU and was revealed to also be infected with the same Cryptosporidium subtype.
- Simultaneously, six veterinary students present in the EPU developed abdominal pain and diarrhea and tested positive for the Cryptosporidium parvum subtype IIdA23G1, leading to the conclusion that zoonotic transmission had occurred from the foals to the students.
Significance of the Findings
- This research provides the first known documentation of this particular subtype of Cryptosporidium parvum found in foals.
- This is also the first study to report evidence supporting the zoonotic transmission of cryptosporidiosis from foals to humans, specifically in an EPU environment, warranting further inspection and preventive measures.
Cite This Article
APA
Galuppi R, Piva S, Castagnetti C, Sarli G, Iacono E, Fioravanti ML, Caffara M.
(2016).
Cryptosporidium parvum: From foal to veterinary students.
Vet Parasitol, 219, 53-56.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.02.001 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy. Electronic address: roberta.galuppi@unibo.it.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cryptosporidiosis / complications
- Cryptosporidiosis / parasitology
- Cryptosporidiosis / transmission
- Cryptosporidium parvum / classification
- Cryptosporidium parvum / genetics
- DNA, Protozoan / genetics
- Diarrhea / etiology
- Education, Veterinary
- Female
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horses
- Humans
- Male
- Molecular Sequence Data
- RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics
- Students
- Zoonoses / parasitology
- Zoonoses / transmission
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Humblet MF, Saegerman C. Internal audits as a tool to assess the compliance with biosecurity rules in a veterinary faculty. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:960051.
- Thompson K, Taylor J, Mendez D, Chicken C, Carrick J, Durrheim DN. Willingness to adopt personal biosecurity strategies on thoroughbred breeding farms: Findings from a multi-site pilot study in Australia's Hunter Valley. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1017452.
- Kaupke A, Rzeżutka A. Population genetics of Cryptosporidium parvum subtypes in cattle in Poland: the geographical change of strain prevalence and circulation over time. BMC Vet Res 2022 Jul 6;18(1):263.
- Guo Y, Li N, Ryan U, Feng Y, Xiao L. Small ruminants and zoonotic cryptosporidiosis. Parasitol Res 2021 Dec;120(12):4189-4198.
- Adam-Poupart A, Drapeau LM, Bekal S, Germain G, Irace-Cima A, Sassine MP, Simon A, Soto J, Thivierge K, Tissot F. Occupations at risk of contracting zoonoses of public health significance in Québec. Can Commun Dis Rep 2021 Jan 29;47(1):47-58.
- Wang W, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Zhao A, Jing B, Zhang L, Liu P, Qi M, Zhao W. Prevalence and genotypic identification of Cryptosporidium in free-ranging and farm-raised donkeys (Equus asinus asinus) in Xinjiang, China. Parasite 2020;27:45.
- Sack A, Oladunni FS, Gonchigoo B, Chambers TM, Gray GC. Zoonotic Diseases from Horses: A Systematic Review. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 Jul;20(7):484-495.
- Sánchez A, Prats-van der Ham M, Tatay-Dualde J, Paterna A, de la Fe C, Gómez-Martín Á, Corrales JC, Contreras A. Zoonoses in Veterinary Students: A Systematic Review of the Literature. PLoS One 2017;12(1):e0169534.
- Ascierto M, Di Grazia A, Celani F, D'Avino N, Petrullo L, Coppola MG, Cacciò SM. Population structure and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium parvum in Italy inferred using a multi-locus sequence typing scheme. Parasit Vectors 2026 Jan 24;19(1):86.
- Hovd LBN, Jiménez-Meléndez A, Varegg MS, Woolsey ID, Olstad I, Mathisen SJ, Reksen O, Robertson LJ. From the field: a cryptosporidiosis outbreak among veterinary students associated with activities during the lambing period in Norway during 2024. Epidemiol Infect 2024 Dec 27;152:e178.
- Salem SE, Abd El-Ghany AM, Elsheikh HA, Abdel-Ghany EM, Ras R. Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in a working horse population in Egypt. Trop Anim Health Prod 2023 Oct 18;55(6):361.
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