Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in dairy livestock from the laguna region, Mexico

Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by Cryptosporidium spp. This zoonotic protozoan causes gastrointestinal infections in vertebrate animals, including human. In milk production industry, Cryptospodidium spp. causes morbidity and mortality of adult cattle and calves, and therefore, economic losses. In Mexico, the largest group of milk producers is in the Lagunar Region (LR), where gastrointestinal infections in cattle are frequent; however, the etiology is rarely known. The objective of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in 39 dairy herds of the LR. 78 stool samples were taken from the rectum of adult cattle and pre-weaned calves (39 samples from each group). Cryptosporidium spp. was recovered by sedimentation method with formalin ether and identified by microscopy and PCR, amplifying a region of Hsp 70 gene, and PCR products were sequenced and analyzed. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was determined in 71.79 % of total samples, which corresponded to 56.41 % of adults analyzed (22/39) and 87.17 % of calves (34/39). Sequences analysis showed a 100 % phylogenetic homology with Cryptosporidium parvum in all the isolates analyzed based on the alignment of Hsp70 gene. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum in dairy herds of LR suggests that this is endemic and represents a risk for dairy industry and public health if manure is applied as a fertilizer in agricultural fields.