Morphological and molecular characterization of Cystoisospora yuensis n. sp. and Cystoisospora rastegaievae (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) in amur hedgehogs, Erinaceus amurensis (Schrenk, 1859)

Twenty-four fecal samples were collected from captive amur hedgehogs (Erinaceus amurensis) in Zhengzhou, China. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, the overall prevalence of Cystoisospora was 62.5% (15/24). These samples contained two types of coccidian oocysts, including C. rastegaievae (50.0%, 12/24) and a new species named C. yuensis n. sp. (12.5%, 3/24). Sporulated oocysts (n = 30) of C. yuensis n. sp. are ovoid, (20.6 +/- 1.4) mu m x (20.9 +/- 0.9) mu m, with a shape index (length/width) of 1.0 and a smooth and bi-layered oocyst wall, 1.3 mu m thick (outer layer 0.8 mu m, inner 0.5 mu m). A polar granule is present, but micropyle cap, micropyle, and oocyst residuum are absent. The sporocysts are ovoid-shaped, (9.3 +/- 0.6) mu m x (8.5 +/- 1.1) mu m, with a shape index (length/width) of 1.1. Stieda, substieda bodies, and refractile bodies are absent. Residuum is scattered and distributed around the entire sporocysts. At the 18S rRNA locus, C. yuensis n. sp. exhibited the highest identity to C. timoni (99.3%) from a slender-tailed meerkat. It has 98.0% identity at the 28S rRNA locus and 99.3% at the ITS locus. Based on morphological and molecular data, this isolate is a new species of Cystoisospora. Additionally, we have provided data on the prevalence of C. rastegaievae in China and sequences of the 18S rRNS, 28S rRNA, and ITS loci.

Automated summary

A new species of Cystoisospora, C. yuensis n. sp., was discovered in captive amur hedgehogs in Zhengzhou, China, with a prevalence rate of 12.5%, along with the known species C. rastegaievae at 50.0%. It showed the highest genetic similarity to C. timoni.