Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium species from domestic ruminants and wild reptiles in Cyprus

Abstract

The presence of Cryptosporidium species in faecal samples of 32 sheep (Aries bovis), 10 goats (Capra circus), 1 blunt nose viper (Macrovipera lebetina lebetina), 3 Kotschy's geckos (Mediodactylus kotschyi) and 6 wild stellagamas (Stellagama stellio cypriaca) in Cyprus were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Cryptosporidium species were found in 9/32 sheep, 5/10 goats, 2/3 Kotschy's geckos and 2/6 stellagamas faecal samples based on the sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. Subtyping was achieved based on the sequencing of the gp60 gene. Four different species have been identified: Cryptosporidium parvum in goats (subtype IIaA15G1R1), C. xiaoi (subtypes XXIIId and XXIIIl) and C. ubiquitum (subtype XIIa) in sheep and C. varanii and C. parvum in lizards; the viper snake sample was negative. This is the first report on the molecular identification of a variety of Cryptosporidium species from domestic ruminants and wild reptiles in the Republic of Cyprus.

Keywords: Cryptosporidium; Cyprus; Epidemiology; Reptiles; Ruminants.