Umaporn ThathaisongSuradej SiripattanapipongTawin InpankaewSaovanee LeelayoovaMathirut MungthinKasetsart UniversityMahidol UniversityBurapha UniversityPhramongkutklao College of Medicine2020-05-052020-05-052020-08-01Parasitology International. Vol.77, (2020)18730329138357692-s2.0-85083419910https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/54563© 2020 Elsevier B.V. Cryptosporidium spp. is an important intestinal protozoan causing diarrhea among both healthy and immunocompromised patients especially those with HIV/AIDS. Cryptosporidium spp. can be transmitted via foodborne, waterborne and person-to-person routes. In addition, several Cryptosporidium species are zoonotic. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among pigs raised in both smallholder (<50 heads/farm) and large scale farms (50–500 heads/farm) in Chonburi Province, eastern Thailand using nested PCR amplifying the small subunit of the ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene. DNA sequencing was also performed to identify the species of Cryptosporidium. A total of 245 fecal samples were collected from 11 pig farms. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection was 20.8% (51/245) which were found in both smallholder and small large scale pig farms. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection among pigs aged ≤6 months was significantly higher than those aged >6 months (p < .001). Among 51 Cryptosporidium positive samples, Cryptosporidium scrofarum (42/51, 82.4%) and Cryptosporidium suis (9/51, 17.6%) were identified. The prevalence of C. scrofarum infection observed among pigs aged ≤6 months was significantly higher when compared with those aged >6 months (20.7% and 2.1%, respectively, p < .001). The high prevalence of C. scrofarum and C. suis infections among pigs could be a potential source of infection to humans.Mahidol UniversityImmunology and MicrobiologyMedicineArticleSCOPUS10.1016/j.parint.2020.102122