Molecular Detection and Genotyping of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Black Goats (Capra hircus) in Yunnan Province, Southwestern China

Abstract

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a fungus-like protist that can parasitize in the intestines of humans and various animals causing a threat to public health. However, there has been no data for E. bieneusi prevalence and genotypes in black goats in Yunnan Province, Southwestern China. In this study, 907 fecal samples were collected from black goats in 5 counties from Yunnan Province. The prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi were examined by nested PCR amplification targeting the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was used to further examine the potential occurrence of genetic segregation. The overall prevalence of E. bieneusi in black goats in Yunnan Province was 10.3% (93/907). Statistical analysis revealed that E. bieneusi prevalence was significantly associated with the region, age and gender of black goats (p < 0.001). Four new genotypes (CYG-1, CYG-2, CYG-3, CYG-4) and 11 known genotypes (CHG1, CHG2, CHG3, CHG5, CHG28, J, D, BEB6, Wildboar3, CD6, SDD1) of E. bieneusi were identified. At the microsatellite and minisatellite loci, 15, 2, 17, and 33 sequences were obtained, respectively, forming one new multi-locus genotype (MLG27). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all 15 genotypes were clustered into group 1 and group 2, with zoonotic potential. This is the first report of E. bieneusi prevalence and genotypes in black goats in Yunnan Province, China. Effective control strategies and measures should be taken to reduce the risk of E. bieneusi transmission between black goats, other animals, and humans.

Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Escherichia coli in Dairy Goat Kids with Diarrhea in Partial Regions of Shaanxi Province, China

“…A sequence analysis based on the ITS gene locus of 112 E. bieneusi isolates revealed nine known genotypes (CHG3, CHG1, BEB6, CHG5, CHG2, SX1, CHG28, COS-II and CD6) in goat kids in the present study, and these genotypes have been previously reported in sheep and goats [32,[70][71][72]. Among the identified genotypes in this study, CHG3 was the most common genotype, which was also found in goats from Henan, Yunnan, Anhui, Chongqing and Shaanxi, as well as in sheep in Henan [71].…”

Occurrence and Genotypic Identification of Blastocystis spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Giardia duodenalis in Leizhou Black Goats in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China

“…However, genotypes and prevalence rates probably also differ by region. This is the first report of E. bieneusi in black goats in Guangdong Province, with a prevalence of 17.7% (40/226), which is lower than in Egypt (100%, 11/11) [37], Thailand (19.2%, 14/73) [38], Henan (66.7%, 104/156; 50.7%, 73/144; 32.9%, 113/343) [15,39,40], Chongqing (62.5%, 5/8) [40], Shaanxi (47.8%, 22/46; 21.9%, 106/485) [15,40], the Ningxia Autonomous Region (29.7%, 89/300) [41], Yunnan (22.4%, 30/134) [40], Heilongjiang (21.8%, 12/55) [42], and Qinghai (18.6%, 11/59) [43], but higher than in Slovakia (0%, 0/20) [44], Shandong (0%, 0/24) [45], Jiangsu (2.7%, 2/74) [45], Anhui (5.2%, 30/574; 7.5%, 6/80) [40,45], Yunnan (8.93%, 30/336; 10.3%, 93/907) [34,36], and the Tibet Autonomous Region (9.6%, 25/260) [46]. These results indicate the importance of goats as hosts for E. bieneusi and their potential role in transmitting microsporidiosis caused by this parasite.…”

“…Enterocytozoon bieneusi is an emerging zoonotic intestinal pathogen that infects humans and many animal species. Many studies have identified and genotyped E. bieneusi in black goats throughout the world [34][35][36][37]. The infection rate of E. bieneusi in goats ranges from 0 to 100% worldwide, and the overall prevalence in goats is estimated to be 16.3% [14].…”