Key Laboratory of Innovation and Utilization of Unconventional Feed Resources, Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China.
Key Laboratory of Livestock Disease Prevention of Guangdong Province, Maoming Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Scientific Observation and Experiment Station of Veterinary Drugs and Diagnostic Techniques of Guangdong Province, Ministry ofAgriculture, Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510640, People's Republic of China.
BMC Vet Res. 2020 Jun 18;16(1):201. doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02421-4.
Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a common opportunistic fungal pathogen, has a wide range of hosts. Limited epidemiological data on E. bieneusi intestinal infections in companion animals (dogs and cats) in China exists. In this study, fecal samples (651 from dogs and 389 from cats) in Guangzhou city, Guangdong Province, China, were collected, and the ribosomal internal transcribed (ITS) spacer region from the DNA extracted from them was Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-amplified and sequenced.
Based on the sequencing data, E. bieneusi was identified in the fecal samples collected from 149 (22.9%) and 79 (20.3%) dogs and cats. Of the factors investigated, poor living conditions appeared to be the major risk factor for contracting the pathogen. Eleven E. bieneusi genotypes, six known (PtEb IX, GD1, D, CD9, EbpC, I) and five novel (designated here as GD2- GD6), were found in dogs. Eight genotypes, six known (PtEb IX, GD1, D, CD9, EbpC, Type IV) and two novel (GD2 and GC1), were identified in cats. Genotype PtEb IX was most common in both dogs and cats, followed by genotype GD1.
Although PtEb IX was the most common E. bieneusi genotype in dogs, this is the first report of this genotype dominating in cats. The same genotype distribution of the pathogen between the two different companion animals species in the same geographic area indicates that inter-species transmission is probable. The widespread existence of zoonotic E. bieneusi genotypes (D, EbpC, Type IV) in companion animals indicates that they are potential sources of environmental contamination and infections in humans.
肠微孢子虫（Enterocytozoon bieneusi）是一种常见的机会性真菌病原体，宿主广泛。在中国，有关伴侣动物（狗和猫）的肠微孢子虫肠道感染的流行病学数据有限。本研究采集了中国广东省广州市的粪便样本（狗 651 份，猫 389 份），并从提取的 DNA 中扩增和测序核糖体内部转录间隔区（ITS）区。
根据测序数据，在采集的狗和猫粪便样本中分别有 149（22.9%）和 79（20.3%）份检测到肠微孢子虫。在所调查的因素中，较差的生活条件似乎是感染该病原体的主要危险因素。在狗中发现了 11 种肠微孢子虫基因型，其中 6 种已知（PtEb IX、GD1、D、CD9、EbpC、I）和 5 种新型（命名为 GD2-GD6）。在猫中发现了 8 种基因型，其中 6 种已知（PtEb IX、GD1、D、CD9、EbpC、Type IV）和 2 种新型（GD2 和 GC1）。在狗和猫中，最常见的基因型均为 PtEb IX，其次是 GD1。
虽然在狗中最常见的肠微孢子虫基因型是 PtEb IX，但这是首次报道该基因型在猫中占主导地位。在同一地理区域的两种不同伴侣动物中，病原体具有相同的基因型分布，表明存在种间传播的可能性。在伴侣动物中广泛存在的人畜共患肠微孢子虫基因型（D、EbpC、Type IV）表明它们是环境污染和人类感染的潜在来源。
