A multiplex PCR test to identify four common cattle-adapted Cryptosporidium species

Abstract

Cryptosporidium is a well-known cause of neonatal enteritis in cattle worldwide. Cattle are commonly infected with four different species of Cryptosporidium but only one of these, Cryptosporidium parvum , is associated with clinical disease. Identification of species in cases of calf scour can give an indication if Cryptosporidium is the causative agent or not. In addition, C. parvum is a zoonotic species and so has implications for human health, for this reason it is important to identify the species of Cryptosporidium infecting cattle particularly where a farm is implicated in an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in humans. Here a multiplex PCR test, which can identify the four common cattle-adapted Cryptosporidium species, including C. parvum , has been developed. This test allows quick and accurate detection of Cryptosporidium species in cattle fecal samples including mixed infections, which could be missed by the more common method of sequencing the same gene.