Despite numerous molecular epidemiologic studies of cryptosporidiosis in dairy cattle in
industrialized countries, there are very few studies on the diversity and public health significance
of Cryptosporidium species in native cattle in developing countries. In this study,
a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis
of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene was used to detect and identify Cryptosporidium
spp. in 194 fecal specimens from 2 to 365 days old calves in 20 White Fulani and Sokoto
Gudali herds in Nigeria. Thirty one (16.0%) of the specimens were positive for Cryptosporidium.
Restriction digestion of the PCR products showed the presence of Cryptosporidium
bovis (7.2%), Cryptosporidium ryanae (4.1%), Cryptosporidium andersoni (2.5%), and concurrent
occurrence of C. bovis and C. ryanae (1.5%), and C. bovis and C. andersoni (0.5%). There
were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in Cryptosporidium infection rates by sex, herd
location, management system, breed of calves, or fecal consistency. However, calves 180
days or younger had a higher infection rate of Cryptosporidium than older calves (p = 0.034).
Likewise, younger calves also had higher occurrence of C. bovis and C. ryanae (p = 0.022).
The absence of zoonotic Cryptosporidium parvum in the calves studied suggests that native
breeds of cattle may not be important in the transmission of human cryptosporidiosis in
Kaduna State, Nigeria