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Prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis sp. infection in zoo animals in three cities in China

  • Genetics, Evolution, and Phylogeny - Original Paper
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Abstract

Blastocystis is a highly prevalent eukaryotic parasite of many animals and humans worldwide. It can compromise the gastrointestinal tract and cause gastrointestinal symptoms, constituting a serious threat to human health and animal growth. Many animals are potential sources of Blastocystis infection in humans. However, limited data are available regarding the prevalence and subtype distribution of Blastocystis infection among zoo animals in China. Therefore, the present study examined the prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis in zoo animals in Hangzhou, Dalian, and Suzhou cities, China. Of 450 fecal samples from zoo animals, 27 (6.0%) were PCR-positive for Blastocystis, with 7.7% (8/104), 11.3% (7/62), 16.7% (3/18), 1.8% (2/114), 6.3% (1/16), 9.5% (2/21), and 3.6% (4/109) in artiodactyla, aves, rodentia, nonhuman primates, perissodactyla, marsupialia, and carnivora, respectively. Significant differences in the prevalence of Blastocystis were found among different animal groups (P < 0.05). Sequence analysis showed 7 known subtypes (ST2, ST4, ST5, ST7, ST8, ST10, and ST14) of Blastocystis in the present study, with ST10 (10/27) as the predominant subtype in all three of the examined zoos. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Blastocystis infection in Damaliscus dorcas, Cervus elaphus, Macropus rufogriseus, Grus japonensis, Trichoglossus haematodus, Panthera tigris ssp. tigris (white), Panthera tigris ssp. altaica, Lycaon pictus, Suricata suricatta, and Dolichotis patagonum in China. These results demonstrate the presence of Blastocystis infection in zoo animals and provided baseline data for preventing and controlling Blastocystis infection in zoo animals and humans in China.

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Funding

Project support was provided by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant no. 2572017PZ11), the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP) (grant no. CAAS-ASTIP-2016-LVRI-03), and the Elite Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-Dong Li, Yu-Meng Meng & Xing-Quan Zhu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao-Dong Li, Yang Zou, Qin-Li Liang, Yu-Meng Meng & Xing-Quan Zhu

  3. Center of Conservation Medicine & Ecological Safety, Northeast Forestry University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, 15004, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Pan, Zan Zeng & Xiao-Long Wang

  4. School of Geography and Tourism, Harbin University, Harbin, 150086, Heilongjiang Province, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Pan, Zan Zeng, Xiao-Long Wang & Hao-Ning Wang

  5. Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China

    Xing-Quan Zhu

Authors
  1. Xiao-Dong Li
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  2. Yang Zou
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  3. Jing Pan
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  4. Qin-Li Liang
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  5. Zan Zeng
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  6. Yu-Meng Meng
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  7. Xiao-Long Wang
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  8. Hao-Ning Wang
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  9. Xing-Quan Zhu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Hao-Ning Wang or Xing-Quan Zhu.

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The fecal samples of zoo animals were collected strictly according to the legal requirement guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the Ministry of Health, China.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Li, XD., Zou, Y., Pan, J. et al. Prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis sp. infection in zoo animals in three cities in China. Parasitol Res 119, 465–471 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06571-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06571-9

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