Occurrence and molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis in child population from Colombia.

Giardia duodenalis is one of the most prevalent human intestinal parasite, with children living in developing countries being particularly at risk of infection. The occurrence and molecular diversity of G. duodenalis was investigated in stools specimens from 307 individuals aged one to nineteen years in Colombia.

Multilocus fragment analysis of Cryptosporidium parvum from pre-weaned calves in Colombia.

The intra-species genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium parvum in dairy cattle farms in the central area of Colombia was investigated using a multilocus fragment typing approach with nine variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci and the gp60 gene. Genomic DNA of 70 C. parvum isolates from pre-weaned calves in 32 farms was analysed.

Genetic uniqueness of Cryptosporidium parvum from dairy calves in Colombia.

Fecal specimens from 432 pre-weaned calves younger than 35 days were collected over a 2-year period (2010-2012) from 74 dairy cattle farms in the central area of Colombia. These samples were microscopically examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts, and positive specimens were selected for molecular examination. Microscopy revealed that 115 calves (26.

Multilocus typing and population structure of Cryptosporidium from children in Zaragoza, Spain.

A multilocus typing approach with eight variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci and the GP60 gene was used to analyze the inter- and intra-species variation of 44 Cryptosporidium isolates from pediatric patients in Zaragoza city (NE, Spain). Restriction and sequence analyses of the SSU rRNA gene revealed that Cryptosporidium transmission is mostly anthroponotic in this area, with the predominance of Cryptosporidium hominis (n: 41) over Cryptosporidium parvum (n: 3). GP60 subtyping showed limited genetic diversity and four subtypes were identified, including IbA10G2 (n: 35), IaA24R3 (n: 6), IIaA15G1R1 (n: 1) and IIaA15G2R1 (n: 2).

Validation of fragment analysis by capillary electrophoresis to resolve mixed infections by Cryptosporidium parvum subpopulations.

The potential of capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based DNA fragment analysis to identify mixed infections by Cryptosporidium parvum subpopulations was validated using high-resolution slab-gel electrophoresis. A selection of genomic DNA samples from C. parvum isolates with CE electropherogram profiles indicative of two concurrent alleles at one or more of six mini and microsatellite loci (MSB, MS5, ML1, ML2, TP14, 5B12) were analysed.

Host association of Cryptosporidium parvum populations infecting domestic ruminants in Spain.

A stock of 148 Cryptosporidium parvum DNA extracts from lambs and goat kids selected from a previous study examining the occurrence of Cryptosporidium species and GP60 subtypes in diarrheic lambs and goat kids in northeastern Spain was further characterized by a multilocus fragment typing approach with six mini- and microsatellite loci. Various degrees of polymorphism were seen at all but the MS5 locus, although all markers exhibited two major alleles accounting for more than 75% of isolates. A total of 56 multilocus subtypes (MLTs) from lambs (48 MLTs) and goat kids (11 MLTs) were identified.

Multilocus fragment typing and genetic structure of Cryptosporidium parvum Isolates from diarrheic preweaned calves in Spain.

A collection of 140 Cryptosporidium parvum isolates previously analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequence analyses of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA and 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) genes was further characterized by multilocus fragment typing of six minisatellite (MSB and MS5) and microsatellite (ML1, ML2, TP14, and 5B12) loci. Isolates were collected from diarrheic preweaned calves originating from 61 dairy cattle farms in northern Spain. A capillary electrophoresis-based tool combining three different fluorescent tags was used to analyze all six satellites in one capillary.