Differences in virulence and oocyst shedding profiles in lambs experimentally infected with different isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum

Bartley, P. M., Thomson, S., Jonsson, N. N. , Taroda, A., Elisabeth, A. I. and Katzer, F. (2023) Differences in virulence and oocyst shedding profiles in lambs experimentally infected with different isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum. Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases, 4, 100127. (doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100127) (PMID:37456556) (PMCID:PMC10344821)

Abstract

A wide spectrum of disease severity associated with cryptosporidiosis has been described, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal in both human and animal hosts. The reasons for the variations in severity are likely to be multifactorial, involving environmental, host and parasite factors. This paper describes two experimental infection trials in lambs, a symptomatic host for the parasite, to investigate variation in the clinical manifestations following infection with two distinct isolates of Cryptosporidium parvum. In the first experiment, groups of naïve lambs were challenged with one of two isolates (CP1 or CP2) at ​< ​1 week of age, to test the effect of the isolates on disease outcome. In a second experiment one group of lambs challenged at < 1 week of age (CP1) was then re-challenged with the same isolate at 6 weeks of age (CP1), while a second group was challenged for the first time at 6 weeks of age (CP1). This experiment examined age-related disease symptoms, oocyst shedding and the effect of prior exposure to the parasite on a subsequent homologous challenge. The two isolates were associated with significant differences in the demeanour of the animals and in the numbers of oocysts shed in the faeces. There were also differences in the duration and severity of diarrhoea, though these were not significant. The age of the lamb, at the time of a primary challenge (<1 week or 6 weeks), also resulted in differences in clinical outcomes, with younger lambs showing more severe clinical disease than the older lambs (feeding profiles and presentation of diarrhoea), while older lambs showed virtually no signs of infection but still produced large numbers of oocysts.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by AHDB, CAPES/PhD Sandwich Program abroad (PDSE N. 6066-14-3) and The Scottish Government, Rural and Environmental Sciences and Analytical Services (RESAS).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Jonsson, Professor Nicholas

Creator Roles

Jonsson, N. N.: Formal analysis, Writing – review and editing, Funding acquisition

• Authors: Bartley, P. M., Thomson, S., Jonsson, N. N., Taroda, A., Elisabeth, A. I., and Katzer, F.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2667-114X
• ISSN (Online): 2667-114X
• Published Online: 26 June 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases 4: 100127
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License