Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Cyclospora, the Human Intestinal Pathogen, Suggests that It Is Closely Related to Eimeria Species

A coccidian organism assigned to the genus Cyclospora has been increasingly recognized in association with prolonged diarrhea in humans throughout the world. Confusion surrounds the taxonomy of this fastidious organism, despite the availability of morphology and sporulation characteristics. The smal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1996-02, Vol.173 (2), p.440-445
Main Authors: Reiman, David A., Schmidt, Thomas M., Gajadhar, Alvin, Sogin, Mitchell, Cross, John, Yoder, Kristine, Sethabutr, Orntipa, Echeverria, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Coccidiosis - parasitology
Cyclospora
Diarrhea - parasitology
DNA
DNA Primers - chemistry
DNA, Protozoan - analysis
DNA, Ribosomal - analysis
Eimeria
Eimeria - classification
Eimeria - genetics
Eucoccidiida - classification
Eucoccidiida - genetics
Eucoccidiida - isolation & purification
Evolution
Feces - parasitology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - parasitology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Sequence Data
Oocysts
Parasites
Parasitism
Pathogens
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Protozoa
Ribosomal DNA
RNA, Protozoan - analysis
RNA, Ribosomal - analysis
Systematics. Geographical distribution. Morphology. Cytology
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Summary:A coccidian organism assigned to the genus Cyclospora has been increasingly recognized in association with prolonged diarrhea in humans throughout the world. Confusion surrounds the taxonomy of this fastidious organism, despite the availability of morphology and sporulation characteristics. The small subunit rRNA coding region from cyclosporan oocysts purified from a human fecal specimen was amplified and sequenced. The same sequence was present in specimens from 8 other patients with cyclosporan oocysts but absent in specimens from asymptomatic subjects and from cryptosporidiosis patients. Phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences reveals that the human-associated Cyclospora is closely related to members of the Eimeria genus. These results allow predictions concerning Cyclospora host specificity, lifecycle, and epidemiology as well as the development of a specific polymerase chain reaction-based diagnostic assay.
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/173.2.440