AUTHOR=Feng Yaoyu , Xiao Lihua 

TITLE=Molecular Epidemiology of Cryptosporidiosis in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01701

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.01701

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis is an active research area in China. The use of genotyping and subtyping tools in prevalence studies has led to the identification of unique characteristics of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> infections in humans and animals. Human cryptosporidiosis in China is exemplified by the high diversity of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. at species and subtype levels, with dominant <italic>C. hominis</italic> and <italic>C. parvum</italic> subtypes being rarely detected in other countries. Similarly, preweaned dairy calves, lambs, and goat kids are mostly infected with non-pathogenic <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> species (<italic>C. bovis</italic> in calves and <italic>C. xiaoi</italic> in lambs and goat kids), with <italic>C. parvum</italic> starting to appear in dairy calves as a consequence of concentrated animal feeding operations. The latter <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> species is dominated by IId subtypes, with IIa subtypes largely absent from the country. Unlike elsewhere, rodents in China appear to be commonly infected with <italic>C. parvum</italic> IId subtypes, with identical subtypes being found in these animals, calves, other livestock, and humans. In addition to cattle, pigs and chickens appear to be significant contributors to <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> contamination in drinking water sources, as reflected by the frequent detection of <italic>C. suis, C. baileyi</italic>, and <italic>C. meleagridis</italic> in water samples. Chinese scientists have also made significant contributions to the development of new molecular epidemiological tools for <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. and improvements in our understanding of the mechanism involved in the emergence of hyper-transmissible and virulent <italic>C. hominis</italic> and <italic>C. parvum</italic> subtypes. Despite this progress, coordinated research efforts should be made to address changes in <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> transmission because of rapid economic development in China and to prevent the introduction and spread of virulent and zoonotic <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> species and subtypes in farm animals.</p>