Multilocus sequence subtyping and genetic structure of Cryptosporidium muris and Cryptosporidium andersoni

• Published in: PloS one 2012-08, Vol.7 (8), p.e43782-e43782
• Main Authors: Wang, Rongjun, Jian, Fuchun, Zhang, Longxian, Ning, Changshen, Liu, Aiqin, Zhao, Jinfeng, Feng, Yaoyu, Qi, Meng, Wang, Helei, Lv, Chaochao, Zhao, Guanghui, Xiao, Lihua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal sciences; Animals; Base Sequence; Biology; Camelidae; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - parasitology; China; Cricetinae; Cryptosporidiosis - parasitology; Cryptosporidiosis - veterinary; Cryptosporidium; Cryptosporidium - genetics; Cryptosporidium - isolation & purification; Cryptosporidium andersoni; Cryptosporidium hominis; Cryptosporidium muris; Cryptosporidium parvum; Dairy cattle; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA sequencing; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Feces; Genetic structure; Genomes; Host specificity; Laboratory animals; Linkage analysis; Linkage disequilibrium; Loci; Medical laboratories; Medicine; Microsatellites (Genetics); Molecular Sequence Data; Multilocus sequence typing; Nucleotide sequence; Parasites; Population; Population genetics; Population structure; Proteins; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - parasitology; Struthioniformes; Studies; Substructures; Veterinary medicine; Veterinary Science; Zoology; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043782

In this study, nine C. muris and 43 C. andersoni isolates from various animals in China were subtyped by a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) tool. DNA sequence analyses showed the presence of 1-2 subtypes of C. muris and 2-6 subtypes of C. andersoni at each of the four loci (MS1, MS2, MS3, and MS16), nine of which represented new subtypes. Altogether, two C. muris and 10 C. andersoni MLST subtypes were detected. Linkage disequilibrium analysis indicated although the overall population structure of the two parasites was clonal, the Chinese C. andersoni in cattle has an epidemic structure. Three and two clusters were produced in the C. muris and C. andersoni populations by Structure 2.3.3 analysis, with Chinese C. muris and C. andersoni substructures differing from other countries. Thus, this study suggested the prevalence of C. andersoni in China is not attributed to the introduction of dairy cattle. More studies involving more genetic loci and systematic sampling are needed to better elucidate the population genetic structure of C. muris and C. andersoni in the world and the genetic basis for the difference in host specificity among the two most common gastric parasites.