Pigs are potential sources of contamination with Cryptosporidium spp., which can lead to infection in humans. Cryptosporidiosis in humans is primarily caused by two species, C. hominis and the zoonotic C. parvum, however, other species including C. suis and C. scrofarum are able to cause zoonotic infection. The oocysts can survive for long periods in the environment and are able to resist most disinfectants. In order to estimate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in organic pigs and to improve knowledge of the epidemiology, the oocyst excretion was monitored at quarterly intervals during the period September 2011 to June 2012 in each of three organic, Danish pig farms. Faecal samples for examination of Cryptosporidium spp. were collected from 994 pigs allocated into four age groups, piglets (n = 161), weaners (n = 315), fatteners (n = 232) and sows (n = 286), distributed on the three farms and four sampling times. Oocysts were quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy, and the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was found to be 38%. The prevalence varied significantly between age groups with 45% piglets, 65% weaners, 40% fatteners and 3% sows found positive. No significant difference in the overall prevalence was detected between farms or seasons. Intensity of infection was age dependent with piglets and weaners having the highest oocyst excretion. No clear differences in the intensity of infections were seen between the four sampling times, but an apparent correlation was observed between number of positive sows and number of piglets with massive oocyst excretion (>105 oocysts per gram faeces ( OPG). Nine of the ten animals with highest OPG originated from the same farm which also had the highest prevalence in sows. Molecular characterisation of the collected Cryptosporidium isolates is ongoing and will reveal the zoonotic potential as well as the genetic variation between farms, seasons and age groups

Dalsgaard, Anders

Enemark, Heidi L.

Jianmin, Wang

Katakam, Kiran Kumar

Mejer, Helena

Olsen, Annette

Petersen, Heidi Huus

Thamsborg, Stig Milan

Enemark, Heidi

Copenhagen University Research Information System

Prevalence of the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium in three organic pig farms in Denmark

Organic Eprints

1Department of veterinary disease biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, *Email: heidihp@sund.ku.dk2 Section for Bacteriology, Pathology and Parasitology, National Veterinary Institute, Danish Technical University, DenmarkPigs are a potential source of environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium spp., which can lead to infection in humans. Cryptosporidiosis in humans is primarily caused by the species specific C. hominis and the zoonotic C. parvum. However, other species including C. suis and C. scrofarumcan also cause zoonotic infections. The parasite is among the most common nonbacterialcauses of severe human gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, which can be life-threatening for children and immunocompromisedindividuals (1). In naturally infected pigs, cryptosporidiosis is normally asymptomatic, but diarrhoea has been observed in experimental infected small piglets (2, 3).Faecal samples were collected in September 2011, December 2011, Marts 2012 and June 2012 from three Danish organic pig farms, with 200 -250 sows . Faecal samples (n=994) were collected from 390 pigs on farm 1, 312 pigs on farm 2 and 292 pigs on farm 3. The pigs were allocated into groups according to age:• Piglets 1 – 6 weeks• Weaners 10 – 16 weeks• Fattener 17 – 22 weeks• Sows pregnant or lactatingFrom each pig, faecal samples were collected rectally and stored at 5°C until quantification of Cryptosporidium oocysts.The oocysts were quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy, with a minimum detection limit of 200 oocysts per gram (OPG) faeces (2). Heidi H. Petersen1*, Helena Mejer1, Wang Jianmin2, Kiran K. Katakam1, Stig M. Thamsborg1 , Anders Dalsgaard1 , Annette Olsen1 and Heidi L. Enemark2PREVALENCE OF THE PROTOZOAN PARASITE CRYPTOSPORIDIUMIN THREE ORGANIC PIG FARMS IN DENMARKINTRODUCTIONMATERIALS AND METHODSAcknowledgements : This research was funded by the Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GDDP). A special thanks to Laboratory technician Lise-Lotte Christiansen for the many hours she spent on this projectRESULTSExamination of faeces for Giardia Spp. is on going, as well as molecular characterisation, which will reveal the zoonotic potential The prevalence of Cryptosporidium positive pigs on each farm was found to be 33% (farm 1), 41% (farm 2) and 42% (farm 3), irrespectively of age and season.The prevalence of Cryptosporidium positive pigs at each sampling point was 39% in September, 42% in December, 33% in Marts and 40% in June. The prevalence of positive pigs varied between age groups both at study and on farm level, with the wearners having the highest prevalence (Fig. 1).The intensity of the infection was age dependent with the youngest pigs having the highest OPG (Fig. 2).An apparent correlation between intensity of the infection and farm was observed, i.e. 60% of the pigs with more than 106 OPG all originated from the same farm, which also had the highest prevalence of cryptosporidiosis among sows.There were no significant differences in the infection intensity between the four sampling times.AIM OF THE STUDYto analyze seasonal and age related variation in the herd prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in organic pig farmsReferences(1) Tzipori, S. et al. (1982) Vet. Parasitol. Vol. 11, 121-126(2) Maddox-Hyttel C. et al. (2006). Vet Parasitol. Vol. 141, 48-59. (3) Enemark H.L. et al. (2003). Vet Parasitol. Vol. 113, 35-57.020406080Piglets Weaners Fatteners SowsPrevalence (%)Farm 1 Farm 2 Farm 3 Total for all 3 farmsFig. 1. Age related prevalence  in pigs positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts on three organic pig farms.0 20 40 60 80SowsFattenersWearnersPigletsPrevalence (%)Fig. 2. The percentage of Cryptosporidium positive organic pigs with >104 OPG.CONCLUSIONThis study documented:• age dependent variation in Cryptosporidium prevalence both on study and farm level. • age related intensity of Cryptosporidium infection  • no noteworthy variation in Cryptosporidium prevalence on farm level or between seasons.

PREVALENCE OF THE PROTOZOAN PARASITE CRYPTOSPORIDIUM IN THREE ORGANIC PIG FARMS IN DENMARK

Pigs are a potential source of contamination with Cryptosporidium spp., which can lead to infection in humans. Two species C. parvum and C. hominis can cause an acute diarrheal illness in humans, which can become severe in e.g. patients with HIV. The oocyst can survive for long periods in the environment and is resistant to many common disinfectants. In order to estimate the prevalence of the zoonotic parasite Cryptosporidium in organic pigs and to improve our knowledge of the parasite epidemiology, the prevalence was monitored four times between September 2011 and June 2012 in three Danish organic pig farms. Faecal samples were collected for examination of Cryptosporidium spp. with a total of 994 pigs grouped as sows, fatteners, young pigs and piglets. The number of pigs in each age group was 298, 232, 315 and 161 respectively, distributed on the three farms. Faecal samples were collected four times and oocysts were counted by microscopy. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 38%. The prevalence in the four age groups was very different, with 3% of the sows, 40% of the fatteners, 65% of the young pigs and 45% of the piglets found positive. There was no noteworthy difference in the overall prevalence between farms (33%-42%) or between the four sampling times (33%-42%). The intensity of the Cryptosporidium infection was dependent on the age of the pigs, with the younger having the highest OPG. Only in the young pigs and the piglets more than 105 OPG was seen and the 10 pigs with the highest OPG were all piglets. There were no noteworthy differences in the intensity of the Cryptosporidium infection between the four sampling times, but there was an apparent association between the number of positive sows and the number of piglets with high OPG, since 9/10 pigs with the highest OPG were found on the same farm which also had the highest prevalence in sows. Further studies on the species and zoonotic potential of the Cryptosporidium oocysts are ongoing

Petersen, Heidi H.

Katakam, Kiran K.

Olsen, Anette

Online Research Database In Technology