Abstract Backgrounds: Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by Cryptosporidium spp. These parasites belong to the phylum Apicomplexa and are intracellular protozoa that infect mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They are cosmopolitan, mostly affecting people with immunodeficiency, and in some cases, can be deadly. In immunocompetent individuals. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. parasite in different regions of Anbar province by different methods, such as the Ziehl–Nelson staining method, as well as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and DNA sequencing, in addition to evaluating the relationship between infection and several demographic factors such as age, sex, geographical area, and seasonal variation. Materials and Methods: Investigation on different age groups investigation was carried out on samples of Al-Anbar referral hospital patients with acute diarrhea and other intestinal symptoms. Using modified Ziehl–Neelsen staining, nested PCR, and DNA sequencing, the species of Cryptosporidium were identified in samples of stool. Results: The prevalence of species of Cryptosporidium among patients was 17.5% (36/205) overall. The PCR and DNA semi-nested sequences amplified the 18SrRNA gene of Cryptosporidium spp. in all microscopic-positive samples, revealing the presence of two Cryptosporidium species, including C. hominins 47.2% (17/36) and C. parvum 52.0% (19/36). The correlation between the infection with Cryptosporidium spp. and some factors results in nonsignificance differences with all factors under consideration. The results of the phylogenetic tree and sequencing showed close relatedness to Iraqi isolates reference Cryptosporidium parasitic isolates C. parvum and C. hominis isolates with a total percent identity score of 100%. Conclusions: The prevalence of C. parvum in the current investigation may corroborate the significance of zoonotic cryptosporidiosis transmission in the Al-Anbar province.
Farhan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.