Prevalence and Genetic Characterization ofInfection in Java Sparrows () in Northern China.

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is a cosmopolitan parasitosis that affects a wide range of hosts including birds. As information concerningin birds is limited, the present study examined the prevalence and genotypes ofin Java sparrows in Beijing and Shangqiu, northern China. Three hundred and fifty fecal samples were collected from Java sparrows (, 225 white Java sparrows and 125 gray Java sparrows) in Beijing and Shangqiu in October 2015, and the samples were examined by PCR amplification of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. The overallprevalence is 13.42% (47/350), with 16.44% (37/225) in white Java sparrows and 8.00% (10/125) in gray Java sparrows.prevalence was 9.82% (16/163) in Java sparrows from Beijing and 16.58% (31/187) in Java sparrows from Shangqiu. The prevalence ofin females and males was 40.63% (26/64) and 7.34% (21/286), respectively. Theprevalence in Java sparrows of different ages varied from 10.47% to 16.33%. Sequence analysis of the SSU rRNA gene revealed that all the samples represented. This is the first report ofin gray Java sparrows in China, which extend the host range for. These results provide baseline information for further studies of molecular epidemiology and control ofinfection in poultry in China.