{"title":"Global prevalence of Cryptosporidium andersoni in dairy cattle: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107427","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Cryptosporidium</em> spp. are apicomplexan parasites commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and in a wide range of animals. Infection is prevalent in dairy cattle and results in diarrhea and increased mortality with significant production losses. <em>Cryptosporidium andersoni</em> is commonly seen in asymptomatic adult cattle and has been associated with gastritis, reduced milk yield, and poor weight gain. However, a meta-analysis of <em>C. andersoni</em> infection in dairy cattle globally has not yet been published. We searched databases for studies on the global prevalence of <em>C. andersoni</em> infection in dairy cattle published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2022. The prevalence of <em>C. andersoni</em> infection in dairy cattle was estimated using a random effects model. In total, 86 publications from 30 countries were included in the final quantitative analysis. The global prevalence of <em>C. andersoni</em> in dairy cattle was 4.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 4.5–4.9 %, 2,554/54,627). European dairy cattle had the highest rate of <em>C. andersoni</em> infection at 8.8 % (961/10,944). A univariate meta-regression analysis indicated that the age of cattle (<em>P</em> = 0.002) and sample collection year (<em>P</em> = 0.025) might be sources of heterogeneity. This systematic review suggests that globally, dairy cattle exhibit a low level of <em>C. andersoni</em> infection; however, the geographical distribution of infection is extensive. <em>C. andersoni</em> mainly infects the stomach of cattle and causes no obvious clinical symptoms after infection but is thought to be responsible for reduced milk production. Therefore, subclinical <em>Cryptosporidium</em> infection in dairy cattle is easily overlooked. Cattle with subclinical infections can produce feces containing oocysts that are inadvertently not safely handled, which can then infect healthy dairy cattle and even cause <em>Cryptosporidium</em> infection in dairy cattle breeders. Therefore, prevention of <em>C. andersoni</em> transmission in asymptomatic cattle is an important issue that should not be neglected.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7240,"journal":{"name":"Acta tropica","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta tropica","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001706X24003085","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Cryptosporidium spp. are apicomplexan parasites commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and in a wide range of animals. Infection is prevalent in dairy cattle and results in diarrhea and increased mortality with significant production losses. Cryptosporidium andersoni is commonly seen in asymptomatic adult cattle and has been associated with gastritis, reduced milk yield, and poor weight gain. However, a meta-analysis of C. andersoni infection in dairy cattle globally has not yet been published. We searched databases for studies on the global prevalence of C. andersoni infection in dairy cattle published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2022. The prevalence of C. andersoni infection in dairy cattle was estimated using a random effects model. In total, 86 publications from 30 countries were included in the final quantitative analysis. The global prevalence of C. andersoni in dairy cattle was 4.7 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 4.5–4.9 %, 2,554/54,627). European dairy cattle had the highest rate of C. andersoni infection at 8.8 % (961/10,944). A univariate meta-regression analysis indicated that the age of cattle (P = 0.002) and sample collection year (P = 0.025) might be sources of heterogeneity. This systematic review suggests that globally, dairy cattle exhibit a low level of C. andersoni infection; however, the geographical distribution of infection is extensive. C. andersoni mainly infects the stomach of cattle and causes no obvious clinical symptoms after infection but is thought to be responsible for reduced milk production. Therefore, subclinical Cryptosporidium infection in dairy cattle is easily overlooked. Cattle with subclinical infections can produce feces containing oocysts that are inadvertently not safely handled, which can then infect healthy dairy cattle and even cause Cryptosporidium infection in dairy cattle breeders. Therefore, prevention of C. andersoni transmission in asymptomatic cattle is an important issue that should not be neglected.
期刊介绍:
Acta Tropica, is an international journal on infectious diseases that covers public health sciences and biomedical research with particular emphasis on topics relevant to human and animal health in the tropics and the subtropics.