Molecular prevalence and subtyping of Cryptosporidium hominis among captive long-tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis ) and rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ) from Hainan Island, southern China

Background Cryptosporidium is an important zoonotic parasite that is commonly found in non-human primates (NHPs). Consequently, there is the potential for transmission of this pathogen from NHPs to humans. However, molecular characterization of the isolates of Cryptosporidium from NHPs remains relatively poor. The aim of the present work was to (i) determine the prevalence; and (ii) perform a genetic characterization of the Cryptosporidium isolated from captive Macaca fascicularis and M. mulatta on Hainan Island in southern China.