Seasonal Differences in <i>Cyclospora cayetanensis</i> Prevalence in Colombian Indigenous People

• Main Authors: Hagen Frickmann, Juliane Alker, Jessica Hansen, Juan Carlos Dib, Andrés Aristizabal, Gustavo Concha, Ulrich Schotte, Simone Kann
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Microorganisms
• Subjects: <i>Cyclospora cayetanensis</i>; Colombia; indigenous people; prevalence; seasonality; infection
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/3/627

Fecal-orally transmitted cyclosporiasis is frequent in remote resource-limited settings in Central and South America with poor hygiene conditions. In this study, we aimed at assessing seasonal effects on the epidemiology of colonization or infection with <i>C. cayetanensis</i> in Colombian indigenous people living under very restricted conditions. In the rainy season between July and November and in the dry season between January and April, stool samples from indigenous people with and without gastrointestinal symptoms were collected and screened for <i>C. cayetanensis</i> applying in-house real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the rainy season and in the dry season, positive PCR results were observed for 11.8% (16/136) and 5.1% (15/292), respectively, with cycle threshold (Ct) values of 30.6 (±3.4) and 34.4 (±1.6), respectively. Despite higher parasite loads in the rainy season, fewer individuals (2/16, 12.5%) reported gastrointestinal symptoms compared to the dry season (6/15, 40%). In conclusion, considerable prevalence of <i>C. cayetanensis</i> in Colombian indigenous people persists in the dry season. Low proportions of gastrointestinal symptoms along with higher parasite loads make colonization likely rather than infection.