TY - JOUR JO - Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine J2 - Ann Agric Environ Med. SN - 1232-1966 VL - 22 IS - 1 PY - 2015 ID - Perec-Matysiak2015 TI - Small rodents as reservoirs of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in south-western Poland AB - Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. have been detected in a range of host species, including rodents. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of these pathogens and recognition of the reservoir role of rodents in the maintenance of these pathogens in south-western Poland. Additionally, preliminary molecular studies were conducted to elucidate the species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia identified in this study. Stool samples (n=266) from A. agrarius , A. flavicollis and M. glareolus , were subjected for analyses. Values of prevalence were 61.7, 68.3 and 68.1%, respectively, for Cryptosporidium spp. and 41.7, 24.4 and 38.4%, respectively, for Giardia spp. There was a statistically significant correlation between host species and Giardia infection where A. agrarius was the species of the highest prevalence. Statistically significant differences were not found for comparisons made for study sites and occurrence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. Due to preliminary nested PCR results, specific amplifications of Cryptosporidium COWP and SSU rRNA genes were obtained for several isolates taken from rodent host species. One isolate recovered from A. agrarius (from a semi-aquatic, urban area) was identified as C. parvum and revealed 100% similarity with sequences obtained from humans. To the best of the knowledge of the authors, this is the first record of the C. parvum zoonotic species from the striped field mouse. Also recorded were the first findings of C. ubiquitum from three small rodent species. AU - Perec-Matysiak, Agnieszka AU - Buńkowska-Gawlik, Katarzyna AU - Zaleśny, Grzegorz AU - Hildebrand, Joanna SP - 1 EP - 5 DA - 2015 DO - 10.5604/12321966.1141359 UR - https://doi.org/10.5604/12321966.1141359 ER -