Patterns of Cryptosporidium oocyst shedding by eastern grey kangaroos inhabiting an Australian watershed - PubMed (original) (raw)

Patterns of Cryptosporidium oocyst shedding by eastern grey kangaroos inhabiting an Australian watershed

Michelle L Power et al. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Oct.

Abstract

The occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in feces from a population of wild eastern grey kangaroos inhabiting a protected watershed in Sydney, Australia, was investigated. Over a 2-year period, Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 239 of the 3,557 (6.7%) eastern grey kangaroo fecal samples tested by using a combined immunomagnetic separation and flow cytometric technique. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium in this host population was estimated to range from 0.32% to 28.5%, with peaks occurring during the autumn months. Oocyst shedding intensity ranged from below 20 oocysts/g feces to 2.0 x 10(6) oocysts/g feces, and shedding did not appear to be associated with diarrhea. Although morphologically similar to the human-infective Cryptosporidium hominis and the Cryptosporidium parvum "bovine" genotype oocysts, the oocysts isolated from kangaroo feces were identified as the Cryptosporidium "marsupial" genotype I or "marsupial" genotype II. Kangaroos are the predominant large mammal inhabiting Australian watersheds and are potentially a significant source of Cryptosporidium contamination of drinking water reservoirs. However, this host population was predominantly shedding the marsupial-derived genotypes, which to date have been identified only in marsupial host species.

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Figures

FIG. 1.

FIG. 1.

Distribution of oocyst numbers shed in 239 positive fecal samples from eastern grey kangaroos. The distribution of Cryptosporidium in this host is highly aggregated (k < 1).

FIG. 2.

FIG. 2.

Distribution of Cryptosporidium marsupial genotypes for each fecal sample collection period. (No samples were collected in August 2001 due to bushfires preventing access.)

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