Veterinarska stanica, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2023.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.46419/vs.54.2.6
Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in humans and dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) in Algeria
Nassim Ouchene
; Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Saad Dahlab University Blida 1, Route Soumâa, BP270, Blida, 09000, Algeria
Nadjet Amina Khelifi-Touhami
; Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Saad Dahlab University Blida 1, Route Soumâa, BP270, Blida, 09000, Algeria
Abstract
Cryptosporidium is one of the most important gastrointestinal parasites of a wide range of animals and humans. A study was conducted between January and March 2011 to investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in dromedaries and humans in Oued Souf in southern Algeria. Stool samples of humans (n=110) and dromedaries (n=40) were collected. Cryptosporidium infection was diagnosed in human samples by the Heine staining method and by amplification of the 18S rRNA gene using polymerase chain reaction, and in dromedaries by the direct immunofluorescent antibody test. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in dromedaries was 10% and none of these Cryptosporidium-infected animals showed diarrhoea. No significant difference was observed between males (10.52%) and females (9.52%). The number of oocysts calculated per gram of faeces varied between 100 and 450 oocysts/g. In humans, no positive cases were detected using the Heine staining method or 18S rRNA gene amplification. This finding highlighted the presence of Cryptosporidium in dromedaries in Oued Souf, Algeria for the first time. Further molecular epidemiology studies including a higher number of dromedaries and different parts of the country are recommended to establish the distribution and national impact of the disease. More efforts are required to isolate and to characterise by PCR the Cryptosporidium species in humans in Algeria.
Keywords
Cryptosporidium; dromedary; human, prevalence; Algeria
Hrčak ID:
279027
URI
Publication date:
14.8.2022.
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