Molecular characterization and prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in sheep and goats in western Inner Mongolia, China

Cryptosporidium spp. are zoonotic intestinal parasites that infect fish, birds, reptiles and mammals. Cryptosporidium spp. are common cause of diarrhea. In this study, a total of 1032 fecal samples were collected from the rectums of sheep and goats. The samples were analyzed using nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene of Cryptosporidium spp. The average infection rate of Cryptosporidium spp. was 2.23% (n = 23), and three Cryptosporidium species were identified, namely Cryptosporidium ubiquitum (8/23), Cryptosporidium andersoni (5/23) and Cryptosporidium xiaoi (10/23). Subtyping of C. ubiquitum and C. xiaoi was carried out by DNA sequence analysis of the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene. Eight C. ubiquitum isolates were identified as zoonotic subtype XIIa. Nine C. xiaoi isolates were identified as subtypes XXIIIc (n = 1), XXIIIf (n = 3) and XXIIIg (n = 5). Subtype XXIIIg was first found in Chinese sheep. C. ubiquitum subtype XIIa was found in both sheep and goats, suggesting that sheep and goats are important sources of C. ubiquitum infections.