Detection and characterization of diverse coccidian protozoa shed by California sea lions Author Girard, Yvette A. Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Author Johnson, Christine K. Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Author Fritz, Heather M. Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA & Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA Author Shapiro, Karen Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Author Packham, Andrea E. Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Author Melli, Ann C. Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Author Carlson-Bremer, Daphne Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA Author Gulland, Frances M. The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito, CA, USA Author Rejmanek, Daniel California Animal Health and Food Safety, Davis, CA, USA Author Conrad, Patricia A. Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA & Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA text International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 2016 2016-04-30 5 1 5 16 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2015.11.003 journal article 292058 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2015.11.003 0497e66e-da65-45e4-829b-be252b0a9965 2213-2244 PMC4840268 27141438 10668346 3.5. Evidence of S. neurona shedding by free-ranging sea lions In light of the unexpected findings revealed during cell culture analysis of fecal samples from stranded hospitalized sea lions, we screened all DNA extracted from frozen, pelleted oocysts of both hospitalized and field-collected fecal samples using S. neurona / S. falcatula -specific ITS 1500 primers. While none of the additional frozen, pelleted oocyst samples collected from hospitalized animals were PCR-positive for S. neurona -like DNA (including those remaining for CSL10089, CSL10092 and CSL10100), two fecal samples collected at Point Lobos ( Fig. 3 , samples PL11 and PL27) produced ~500 bp products in the ITS 1500 PCR reaction ( Table 3 ). Additional primers (Sn-ITS) targeting the ITS-1 region of S. neurona produced amplicons with sequences identical to hospitalized sea lion zoites collected in the present study as well as S. neurona isolated in other animals (See Supplementary data). All other attempts to amplify S. neurona in samples PL11 and PL27 using alternative primers failed with the exception of microsatellite Sn7 which, in sample PL27, produced a sequence containing the di-nucleotide repeat CA 17 found in S. neurona and zoites isolated in CSL10089, CSL10092 and CSL10100 ( Table 4 ).