First Report of Rodent-adapted Cryptosporidium Wrairi in an Immunocompetent Child, Spain

Overview

Journal Parasitol Res

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2022 Jul 30

PMID 35906999

Authors

Carolina Hernandez-Castro

Alejandro Dashti

Pamela Carolina Koster

Begona Bailo

Andrea Lopez

Maria Teresa Llorente

David Gonzalez-Barrio

Sergio Sanchez

David Carmena

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is a leading cause of childhood diarrhoea. Two species, Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum, are responsible for most confirmed cases globally. Close contact with pet animals can be an unnoticed source of children infections. We describe a case of infection by rodent-adapted Cryptosporidium wrairi in a 22-month-old immunocompetent toddler with no clinical manifestations in close contact with a pet guinea pig and poor personal hygiene practices in Majadahonda (Madrid, Spain). Attempts to determine the C. wrairi genotype family at the 60-kDa glycoprotein marker failed repeatedly. This is the first description of C. wrairi in a human host. Although a spurious infection cannot be completely ruled out, data presented here suggest that C. wrairi can be transmitted zoonotically.

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