The Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang, 611100, China.
Wolong Giant Panda Base, Aba, 624000, China.
Sci Rep. 2018 Apr 26;8(1):6590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25096-2.
Human and animal infections of Enterocytozoon bieneusi (E. bieneusi) have consistently been reported worldwide, garnering public attention; however, the molecular epidemiology of E. bieneusi in the giant panda remains limited. We surveyed captive giant pandas in China for the presence of E. bieneusi by using PCR and sequence analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) revealing a 34.5% positive rate, with seven known genotypes (SC02, EpbC, CHB1, SC01, D, F, and Peru 6) and five novel genotypes (SC04, SC05, SC06, SC07, and SC08) identified. We similarly analyzed water samples, and E. bieneusi was detected in two samples, with genotype SC02 identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CHB1 did not cluster with any recognized group, while the remaining genotypes belonged to group 1. The predominance of zoonotic group 1 genotypes indicates a public health threat that giant pandas could spread E. bieneusi to humans. The identification of E. bieneusi in water samples suggests giant pandas could contribute to water contamination. Effective control measures are therefore needed to minimize the contamination of the water and prevent a human microsporidiosis outbreak.
人类和动物感染肠微孢子虫（E. bieneusi）在全球范围内时有报道，引起了公众的关注；然而，大熊猫中 E. bieneusi 的分子流行病学仍然有限。我们通过 PCR 和核糖体内部转录间隔区（ITS）序列分析对中国圈养大熊猫进行了 E. bieneusi 的检测，阳性率为 34.5%，发现了 7 种已知基因型（SC02、EpbC、CHB1、SC01、D、F 和 Peru 6）和 5 种新型基因型（SC04、SC05、SC06、SC07 和 SC08）。我们同样分析了水样，在两个水样中检测到了 E. bieneusi，鉴定为 SC02 基因型。系统发育分析显示，CHB1 与任何已识别的群组都没有聚类，而其余的基因型属于第 1 群组。人畜共患的第 1 群组基因型的优势表明大熊猫可能会将 E. bieneusi 传播给人类，存在公共卫生威胁。在水样中鉴定出 E. bieneusi 表明大熊猫可能会导致水样污染。因此，需要采取有效的控制措施，以尽量减少水的污染，并防止人类微孢子虫病的爆发。
