Ocurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

• Grant number: 11/10116-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2011
• End date: July 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Vasconcelos Meireles
• Grantee: Bruno Ribas Vieira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The infection with some species or genotypes of Cryptosporidium represents a significant risk to public health, mainly because of morbidity and mortality in children aged zero to five years old and in immunosuppressed patients. Although there are some reports of Cryptosporidium infection in rabbits, the role of these animals in the epidemiology of human cryptosporidiosis remains uncertain, and the literature on this topic is still rather scarce. Cryptosporidium cuniculus, a parasite of rabbits, was recently described as a zoonotic agent. The aim of this study is to detect and determine the Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in fecal samples from rabbits. A total of 100 fecal samples will be collected from rabbits different ages, according to availability, from commercial breeders, pet shops, veterinary clinics and at residencies, in the cities of Araçatuba, Santos and São Paulo. The determination of the species or genotype of the parasite will be carried out using nested polymerase chain reaction to amplify fragments of the 18S subunit of the ribosomal RNA of Cryptosporidium spp., followed by sequencing of amplified fragments.