Work

Multicopy subtelomeric genes underlie animal infectivity of divergent Cryptosporidium hominis subtypes

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The anthroponotic Cryptosporidium hominis differs from the zoonotic C. parvum in its lack of infectivity to rodents, but several divergent C. hominis subtypes has been recently found in nonhuman primates and equines. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 17 animal C. hominis isolates. In a comparative analysis with 222 human isolates, the animal-adapted isolates showed significant genetic divergence, and genetic recombination shaped their population. In addition, these animal isolates had additional genes found in C. parvum and significant sequence differences in subtelomeric genes. In interferon-γ knockout mice, three monkey isolates showed differences in infectivity and induced higher and longer oocyst shedding than a reference C. parvum isolate. Two of the isolates were fluorescently tagged, allowing the screening of the progeny of a genetic cross. These data provide insight into genetic determinants of host range and virulence in Cryptosporidium, and a convenient animal model for biological studies of C. hominis.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54995-4