A survey on prevalence rate of Cryptosporidium infection in stockmen and sheep from Bukan, Iran

Subject Areas : Parasitology

Amir Ghezelbash ¹ , Sohrab Rasouli ² , Faeze Haidarbeigi ³ , melika Ahmadi ⁴

1 - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
2 - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
3 - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
4 - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran

Received: 2023-11-15 Accepted : 2024-07-29 Published : 2024-10-31

Keywords: Cryptosporidium, Sheep Stockmen, Bukan, Iran,

Abstract :

Cryptosporidium is a protozoan that causes an important opportunistic infection in humans and ruminants. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis infection based on some epidemiological factors in stockmen and sheep in Bukan county. In this study, conducted from July to December 2018, 218 fecal samples were collected from sheep and 200 fecal samples from stockmen in Bukan county, Iran. After preparation, the samples were stained using the Modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain method and examined microscopically at 100X and 40X magnification. In total, six stockmen (3%) and 25 sheep (11.46%) were diagnosed as infected with Cryptosporidium. In the present study, the highest prevalence was observed with a significant statistical difference in the age group of 1-7 years (20.83%), among people with clinical symptoms (26.32%), and among those who consumed home-grown vegetables cultivated with animal manure (18.52%) (p<0.05). No significant statistical difference was observed in other studied parameters (p>0.05). Additionally, there is a statistically significant relationship between the level of infection in sheep with Cryptosporidium and their age group (p<0.05). Further investigations revealed a statistically significant relationship between the sex of sheep and the infection in Bukan county (p<0.05).

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