Molecular Evidence of Zoonotic Cryptosporidium felis in Cats from the Iğdır Region

Abstract

Although Cryptosporidium spp. infects a wide range of hosts

including cats. Data on the prevalence and molecular characteristics of these zoonotic enteric protozoa

particularly Cryptosporidium felis in cats from Türkiye

remain limited. This study aimed to determine the prevalence

species distribution

and zoonotic relevance of Cryptosporidium spp. in cats from the Iğdır region. Fecal samples collected from 100 cats were examined microscopically using the Kinyoun acid-fast staining method and molecularly by nested PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene. PCR-positive samples were subjected to Sanger sequencing

and phylogenetic analyses were conducted using MEGA version 12. Microscopy detected oocysts in 1% (1/100) of samples

while nested PCR identified 3% (3/100) positivity. A higher prevalence was observed in female cats and in animals younger than one year of age. All three sequenced isolates were identified as C. felis

showing 99.75% identity to reference sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that all isolates clustered within the C. felis lineage. The presence of C. felis in cats in the Iğdır region highlights their potential role as reservoirs of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species. These findings underscore the importance of continued surveillance and molecular characterization of feline cryptosporidiosis in Türkiye

given the close human–cat interaction in domestic environments.