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Assessment of the subtypes and the zoonotic risk of Blastocystis sp. of experimental macaques in Yunnan province, southwestern China

  • Genetics, Evolution, and Phylogeny - Short Communication
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Abstract

Blastocystis is an enteral eukaryote with an omnipresent existence in animals and humans globally. Animals have been proposed to be a major reservoir for the transmission of Blastocystis to individuals due to their high prevalence and large amount of zoonotic subtypes. However, limited data on Blastocystis infection in experimental macaques in China exists. The objective of the current study was to investigate the frequency and subtypes of Blastocystis infection in macaques in southwestern China. A total of 505 fecal samples were collected from experimental macaques in Yunnan province and were analyzed by nested PCR and phylogenetic analyses on the basis of small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene fragments. A total of 235 specimens were positive for Blastocystis sp., and the prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was 46.5% (235/505). Significant differences in prevalence were also observed among the various species of macaques (P < 0.0133, df = 2, χ2 = 8.64) and the different feed types (P < 0.0093, df = 1, χ2 = 6.77). Moreover, three zoonotic subtypes, ST1, ST3, and ST5, were identified by DNA sequence analysis. There were mainly single subtype infections with some mixed subtype infections, and the predominant subtype was ST3. The results suggested a high prevalence and diversified subtypes in macaques in Yunnan province, southwestern China. Macaques are likely to be potential reservoirs capable of zoonotic transmission of Blastocystis sp. to humans. To our knowledge, this study is the first large-scale systematic analysis of Blastocystis sp. colonization in Yunnan province in the subtropics of China; these results contribute to the in-depth study of genetic characteristics and the prevention, control, and treatment of Blastocystis sp. in macaques in Yunnan province and other regions.

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Funding

Project support was provided by the Open Funds of the State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology (Grant No. SKLVEB2017KFKT008) and the Promotion Project of ESI Discipline of Yunnan Agricultural University (Grant No. 2019YNAUESIMS03).

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Author notes

  1. Ting-Cui Li and Zhao Li contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health of Yunnan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan province, People’s Republic of China

    Ting-Cui Li, Zhao Li, Wen-Jie Chen, Xian-Lan Dong, Jian-Fa Yang, Hong-Xia Li & Feng-Cai Zou

  2. Kunming Primate Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, Yunnan province, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-Lin Zhang

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  1. Ting-Cui Li
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  2. Zhao Li
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  3. Yu-Lin Zhang
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  4. Wen-Jie Chen
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  5. Xian-Lan Dong
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  7. Hong-Xia Li
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  8. Feng-Cai Zou
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Correspondence to Feng-Cai Zou.

Ethics declarations

The study protocol was approved by the Kunming Primate Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as the Research Ethics Committee of Yunnan Agricultural University, before the study. Fecal samples were collected from macaques in accordance with the Animal Ethics Procedures and Guidelines of the People’s Republic of China.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Section Editor: Yaoyu Feng

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Li, TC., Li, Z., Zhang, YL. et al. Assessment of the subtypes and the zoonotic risk of Blastocystis sp. of experimental macaques in Yunnan province, southwestern China. Parasitol Res 119, 741–748 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06574-6

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