The protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum causes cryptosporidiosis, an opportunistic parasite infection that can cause severe.
It is essential to comprehend the genetic diversity of C. parvum circulating in these high-risk communities in order to guide focused prevention and control initiatives. The genetic diversity of C. parvum isolates infecting immunocompromised individuals in Wassit City, Iraq, was examined in this cross-sectional investigation . 50 samples collected from Al-Karama hospital and health centers, 20 (40.0%) of the fifty suspected cases of cryptosporidiosis had Cryptosporidium oocysts in their stool samples, which were examined under a microscope . Following molecular detection, which yielded 35 (70.0%) results, 10 samples were used for nested PCR that targeted the C. parvum glycoprotein 60 (gp60) gene. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction using the Neighbor-Joining method revealed the presence of multiple C. parvum genotypes .The Cryptosporidium parvum gp60-IId.allele (KX397563.1) was linked to the human isolates IQH.1, IQH.3, IQH.4, IQH.5, and IQH.8. Cryptosporidium parvum gp60-IIc.allele (FJ839876.1) was linked to the human isolates IQH.2, IQH.6, IQH.9, and IQH.10. The Cryptosporidium parvum gp60-IIa allele (DQ192508.1) was linked to the Cryptosporidium parvum human isolate IQH.7.
Sequence similarity between the detected genotypes and reference isolates in the GenBank database ranged from 98.65% to 100%. This study highlights the significant genetic diversity of C. parvum and the necessity of thorough surveillance to guide effective prevention and control strategies targeting this opportunistic parasite, offering crucial insights into the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in Iraq's immunocompromised population.