Global prevalence of Cryptosporidium infections in cattle: A meta-analysis

The apicomplexan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. are the causative agents of a severe diarrhoeal disease called cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium species are capable of infecting a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans and livestock. In cattle, cryptosporidiosis is now one of the most important causes of neonatal scour globally, either as a sole agent or co-infecting with other pathogens. Cryptosporidiosis is considered globally endemic, with a prevalence of Cryptosporidium in stool samples from 13% to 93% in European cattle. This disease has a significant economic burden, with costs associated with veterinary diagnosis and medication, animal rearing, and supplemental nutrition. It is also associated with a reduced long-term growth rate in calves, causing huge economic losses in the livestock industry. Moreover, cattle act as a zoonotic reservoir for Cryptosporidium parvum, a species that is capable of infecting humans as well. As such, monitoring the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle is important due to the public health risk and financial burden the clinical disease causes. Publications reporting on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle were collected from PubMed and Google Scholar. Information regarding the age of the animals, the species of Cryptosporidium in positive samples, the genotype of C. parvum found in samples, and the diarrhoeic status of the cattle was collected where available. A total of 248 publications were collected for this meta-analysis from six continents and 63 countries to provide an estimation for global bovine Cryptosporidium prevalence. The global prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection ranged between 27.0% and 37.5% in calves and pre-weaned cattle, respectively, with C. parvum being the most frequently identified species, particularly the IIa subfamily. Diarrhoea was reported in 7080 pre-weaned cattle samples, of which 38.1% tested positive for Cryptosporidium. Regarding symptoms, we found that in countries reporting over 50% of diarrhoeic positive cattle, C. parvum was the most common species. Continued monitoring and reporting of Cryptosporidium spp. in cattle are crucial for both public health and economic reasons. Consequently, efforts should focus on underreported regions and the development of control measures to reduce prevalence and limit zoonotic transmission.