CRISPR/Cas12a-based on-site diagnostics of Cryptosporidium parvum IId-subtype-family from human and cattle fecal samples

BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium parvum is an enteric protozoan parasite with zoonotic importance and can cause cryptosporidiosis in humans as well as domestic and wild animals worldwide. The IId subtype family (SF) is one of the most prevalent subtypes of C. parvum. Some clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein systems have been developed to detect nucleic acid with high flexibility, sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: By integrating recombinase polymerase amplification and the Cas12a/crRNA trans-cleavage system (termed ReCTC), we established end-point diagnostics by observing fluorescence readouts with the naked eye under blue light and on-site diagnostics using a lateral flow strip (LFS) biosensor. RESULTS: Our ReCTC-based diagnoses can detect as little as a single copy of a cloned C. parvum 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) gene, 10 oocysts per gram (OPG), clinical fecal sample without tedious extraction of genomic DNA and have no cross-reactivity with other SFs of C. parvum or other common enteric parasitic protozoa. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a new strategy for direct identification of the IId SF of C. parvum free of highly trained operators and expensive special equipment. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-021-04709-2.