Molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. in an agricultural area of northern Vietnam: A community survey

Hanako Iwashita; Taichiro Takemura; Asako Tokizawa; Tetsuhiro Sugamoto; Vu Dinh Thiem; Tuan Hai Nguyen; Tho Duc Pham; Anh Hong Quynh Pham; Hang Thi Doan; Na Ly Tran; Tetsu Yamashiro

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2021.102341

Molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. in an agricultural area of northern Vietnam: A community survey

Parasitol Int. 2021 Aug:83:102341. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102341. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan; Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan. Electronic address: iwashita.hanako@twmu.ac.jp.
² Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
³ Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan.
⁴ International Programs, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, 3-1-24 Matsuyama, Kiyose-shi, Tokyo 204-8533, Japan; Graduate School of International Health Development, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
⁵ National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, No.1 Yersin Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam.
⁶ National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, No.1 Yersin Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam; Leading Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto Nagasaki City, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan.
⁷ Leading Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto Nagasaki City, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; International Hospital Vinmec Times City, 458 Minh Khai, Vinh Tuy, Hai Ba Trung, Ha Noi, Vietnam.
⁸ Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.
⁹ Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; VITECH DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD, No. 13 Lot 1G Trung Yen Urban Area, Trung Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam.
¹⁰ Vietnam Research Station, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
¹¹ Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishiharacho, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan.

PMID: 33819572
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102341

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium infection and the potential for transmission of Cryptosporidium spp. between animals and humans in northern Vietnam. A total of 2715 samples (2120 human diarrheal samples, 471 human non-diarrheal samples, and 124 animal stool samples) were collected through our community survey in an agricultural area. All samples were tested for Cryptosporidium spp. by direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) using a fluorescent microscope. DNA extraction, PCR amplification of three genes (COWP, SSU-rRNA, and GP60), and sequencing analysis were performed to identify Cryptosporidium spp. Of 2715 samples, 15 samples (10 diarrheal samples, 2 non-diarrheal samples, and 3 animal stool samples) tested positive by PCR for the COWP gene. Three species of Cryptosporidium spp. were identified as C. canis (from six human diarrheal samples, two human non-diarrheal samples, and one dog sample), C. hominis (from four human diarrheal samples), and C. suis (from two pig samples) by sequencing the amplified COWP and/or SSU-rRNA genes. In terms of C. hominis, the GP60 subtype IeA12G3T3 was detected in all four human diarrheal samples. Although the number of positive samples was very small, our epidemiological data showed that the emerging pattern of each of the three species (C. canis, C. hominis, and C. suis) was different at this study site. While C. hominis and C. suis were only detected in human and pig samples, respectively, C. canis was detected in samples from both dogs and humans. We suspect that C. canis infections in humans at this study site may be due to environmental contamination with animal and human feces.

Keywords: Cryptosporidium canis; Cryptosporidium hominis; Cryptosporidium suis; Northern Vietnam; Zooanthroponotic transmission; Zoonotic transmission.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cryptosporidiosis / epidemiology*
Cryptosporidiosis / parasitology
Cryptosporidium / classification
Cryptosporidium / isolation & purification*
Dog Diseases / epidemiology*
Dog Diseases / parasitology
Dogs
Feces / parasitology
Humans
Molecular Epidemiology
Species Specificity
Sus scrofa
Swine
Swine Diseases / epidemiology*
Swine Diseases / parasitology
Vietnam / epidemiology
Zoonoses / epidemiology*
Zoonoses / parasitology