Molecular characterization of Danish Cryptosporidium parvum isolates

The genetic polymorphism among 271 Danish Cryptosporidium isolates of human and animal origin was studied by partial amplification and sequencing of the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) gene, the 18S rDNA, and a microsatellite locus.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper are available in the GenBank database under the accession number AF469174. Furthermore, the microsatellite locus was studied directly using fragment analysis. A comparative analysis of DNA sequences showed the presence of 3 different subgenotypes (C1, C2 and C3) in C. parvum isolates from Danish cattle, with prevalences of 16.7, 17.2 and 73.1% including 13 (7.0%) mixed infections. Subgenotype C1 was significantly more prevalent (P