Prevalence and Molecular Epidemiology of Cryptosporidium Infection in Calves and Hospitalized Children in Egypt

Background and Objective: Cryptosporidium species are important zoonotic protozoan parasites that infect the gastrointestinal tract of most vertebrate animals and man.Cryptosporidiosis infection is responsible for numerous outbreaks of diarrheal disease worldwide.This study was planned for prevalence and molecular detection of Cryptosporidium spp., in calves and hospitalized children from different Egyptian governorates (Cairo, Giza and Al-Bahira).Materials and Methods: A total of 253 fecal samples from cattle and buffalo calves <2 months, 2-6 months and <6 months of age and 115 stool samples from children <2 years, 2-6 years and 6-12 years old were screened by modified Ziehl-Neelsen (MZN) staining technique for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts followed by molecular characterization using complemented DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction (cPCR).Results: An overall Cryptosporidium spp., infection rates of 30.4 and 33.9%were detected among calves and children, respectively.The highest prevalence (32.7 and 44.4%) was demonstrated in younger calves (<2 months) and children (<2 years), respectively.On the other hand, a lower prevalence (20.0 and 27.0%) was detected in older calves (>6 months) and children (6-12 years), respectively.The prevalence in relation to fecal consistency was higher in diarrheic (39.8 and 41.1%) than in non-diarrheic samples (20.8 and 23.4%) from calves and children, respectively.The PCR analysis of 7 and 6 MZN stain positive calves and children fecal samples, respectively, revealed the expected positive bands at 835 bp for all 6 tested children fecal samples and for only 3 calve fecal samples, while the other 4 were negative PCR for Cryptosporidium spp.Conclusion: The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp.had a relationship with age and the high infection rate in calves and children can act as a great source of cryptosporidiosis.The obtained data from this study indicates an important public health problem and a potential risk of zoonotic transmission from animal to human beings in Egypt.