Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are gastrointestinal protozoan parasites with high prevalence rates worldwide. Blastocystis sp. show extensive genetic diversity with 17 different subtypes (STs) described to date. A few studies have investigated the prevalence and STs of Blastocystis sp. in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we aimed in this study to identify and characterize subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in the City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 140 patients who presented to King Abdulaziz Hospital, Hera General Hospital and Modern Medical Center in Saudi Arabia. Different microscopic examination methods of patients' stools and molecular analyses (using primers targeting SSU rRNA gene) were performed to identify and characterize STs of Blastocystis sp. Results: Our microscopic examination of stool samples showed that 96/140 patients (68.6%) had Blastocystis sp. infection. Clinical examination of infected patients revealed that 81 patients were symptomatic, whereas 15 were asymptomatic. Next, we isolated DNA from Blastocystis sp.-positive stool samples followed by PCR amplification of small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene and sequence analysis. Our sequence analysis showed that subtype 3 (ST3) was the most prevalent (53.13%) followed by subtype 1 (ST1) (45.83%), whereas subtype 2 (ST2) was the least prevalent (1.04%). Moreover, our results showed that all three STs resulted in more symptomatic than asymptomatic cases. Finally, we identified novel haplotypes which comprised of 8 ST3, 6 ST1, and one ST2 haplotypes. Conclusion: Our identification of several haplotypes in patients' stools confirms the genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. and may explain the reported low host specificity and differential pathogenicity of Blastocystis sp. We believe that additional molecular epidemiological and genomic studies are needed to understand the prevalence and pathogenicity of different subtypes in humans and animal hosts.
Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are gastrointestinal protozoan parasites with high prevalence rates worldwide. Blastocystis sp. show extensive genetic diversity with 17 different subtypes (STs) described to date. A few studies have investigated the prevalence and STs of Blastocystis sp. in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we aimed in this study to identify and characterize subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in the City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 140 patients who presented to King Abdulaziz Hospital, Hera General Hospital and Modern Medical Center in Saudi Arabia. Different microscopic examination methods of patients' stools and molecular analyses (using primers targeting SSU rRNA gene) were performed to identify and characterize STs of Blastocystis sp. Results: Our microscopic examination of stool samples showed that 96/140 patients (68.6%) had Blastocystis sp. infection. Clinical examination of infected patients revealed that 81 patients were symptomatic, whereas 15 were asymptomatic. Next, we isolated DNA from Blastocystis sp.-positive stool samples followed by PCR amplification of small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene and sequence analysis. Our sequence analysis showed that subtype 3 (ST3) was the most prevalent (53.13%) followed by subtype 1 (ST1) (45.83%), whereas subtype 2 (ST2) was the least prevalent (1.04%). Moreover, our results showed that all three STs resulted in more symptomatic than asymptomatic cases. Finally, we identified novel haplotypes which comprised of 8 ST3, 6 ST1, and one ST2 haplotypes. Conclusion: Our identification of several haplotypes in patients' stools confirms the genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. and may explain the reported low host specificity and differential pathogenicity of Blastocystis sp. We believe that additional molecular epidemiological and genomic studies are needed to understand the prevalence and pathogenicity of different subtypes in humans and animal hosts.
“…However, recent microbiome studies have reported that Blastocystis may be an indicator of good intestinal health [ 5 ]. Zoonotic STs are occasionally transmitted between animals and humans, and some animals may be significant potential reservoirs for human infection [ 22 , 29 , 44 ].…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Epidemiological studies have been conducted in domestic animals, including pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats, but only a few reports on captive wildlife have been documented in China [ 13 ]. The prevalence of Blastocystis in the wild animals examined in this study was 10.0% (30/300); this is lower than that previously found in zoo animals in Western Australia (42%, 32/76) [ 25 ], wild animals on Qinling Mountains, China (40.2%, 200/497) [ 42 ], zoo animals in Japan (39.0%, 46/118) [ 2 ], wild animals in Brazil (34.4%, 115/334) [ 35 ], zoo animals in the United Kingdom (34.2%, 79/231), various captive animals in France (32.2%, 99/307) [ 12 ], captive wildlife in four zoos of southwestern China (15.7%, 66/420) [ 15 ], and captive mammalian wildlife in Bangladesh National Zoo (15.5%, 31/200) [ 29 ]. However, the prevalence is higher than that observed in animals from three city zoos in China (6.0%, 27/450) [ 23 ].…”
Blastocystis is a prevalent eukaryotic parasite that has been identified in a wide range of hosts. Several species are considered potential sources of Blastocystis infection in humans, but little is known about the prevalence of Blastocystis in wild animals. In this study, the prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis were investigated to assess the zoonotic potential of wild animals in Sichuan Wolong National Natural Reserve. A total of 300 fecal samples were collected from 27 wildlife species in three areas of the Reserve. The subtype (ST), genetic characteristics, and prevalence of Blastocystis were determined by PCR amplification of part (~600 bp) of the SSU rRNA gene. Thirty fecal samples (10.0%) were Blastocystis-positive. The highest prevalence of Blastocystis was found in Yinchanggou (18.3%), with significantly less found in Niutoushan (7.5%) and Genda (5.5%) (p < 0.05). No significant differences were associated with different orders of animals in prevalence, which may be because of the small number of positive samples obtained. Sequence analysis showed five subtypes (ST1, ST3, ST5, ST13, and ST14), with ST13 and ST14 being predominant (33% each), followed by ST1 (20%). This is the first molecular investigation of Blastocystis infection in the wild animals of southwestern China. Subtypes ST1, ST3, ST5, and ST14 have previously been identified in humans, suggesting that wild animals may be potential reservoirs of Blastocystis for humans.
“…However, recent microbiome studies have reported that the presence of Blastocystis may be an indicator of good intestinal health [21]. Zoonotic STs is supposed to be commonly transmitted between animals and humans, and some certain STs of animal origin are signi cant potential reservoirs for human infections [22][23][24].…”
Background
Blastocystis, a highly prevalent eukaryotic parasite, has been identified in a wide range of hosts, including humans, domestic and wild animals. Many animals are potential sources of Blastocystis infection for humans, while few information about the prevalence of Blastocystis in wild animals have being documented. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis in wild animals of Sichuan Wolong National Natural Reserve, southwestern of China, so as to assess the zoonotic potential of these animals.
Methods
A total of 300 faecal samples were collected from 27 wildlife species in three areas of Sichuan Wolong National Natural Reserve in southwestern China. The subtype (ST) genetic characteristics and prevalence of Blastocystis were determined by PCR amplification of the barcode region (a fragment of ∼600 bp) of the SSU rRNA gene, and phylogenetic analysis were further performed to determine the genetic characteristics of Blastocystis subtypes.
Results
30 of 300 faecal samples (10.0%) were Blastocystis-positive. The highest prevalence of Blastocystis was found in Yinchanggou (18.3%), which was significantly higher than that in Niutoushan (7.5%), and Genda (5.5%) (P < 0.05). Specifically, the highest prevalence of Blastocystis was found in primates (20.0%, 1/5), followed by rodentia 14.3% (1/7), artiodactyla 13.1% (26/198), carnivora 2.3% (2/87), galliformes 0% (0/3). Sequence analysis showed 5 subtypes (ST1, ST3, ST5, ST13, and ST14), with ST13 and ST14 as the predominant subtype (33.3%, 10/30), followed by ST1 (20.0%, 6/30).
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular investigation on Blastocystis infection in wild animals in southwestern of China. ST1, ST3, and ST5 were identified in both humans and wild animals, suggesting that these wild animals may be potential reservoirs of Blastocystis for human infection.
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