Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, 38039, Kayseri, Turkey.
Acta Trop. 2021 Aug;220:105939. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105939. Epub 2021 Apr 28.
A total of 1340 fresh fecal samples from farm and pet animals in Central Anatolia and the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey were investigated using a PCR assay targeting the SSU rRNA of Blastocystis sp. An overall Blastocystis sp. prevalence of 19.4% (183/940) was found in farm animals, including cattle, sheep, water buffaloes, and chickens. Fecal samples of dogs, cats, and horses were negative. The highest prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was found in sheep (38.2%) among the farm animals. The SSU rRNA sequence analysis revealed two animal-specific subtypes, including ST10 in cattle and sheep and ST14 in water buffaloes. The zoonotic subtype ST7 was identified in chickens. Our results indicated a high prevalence of animal-specific subtypes in livestock and zoonotic subtype ST7 in chickens, highlighting the potential risk of chickens for zoonotic transmission of Blastocystis in the research area. This study is the first large-scale evaluation of Blastocystis in animal hosts in Turkey, and contributes to the molecular epidemiology and genetics of Blastocystis. Our results should be considered by authorities as an indication of the zoonotic importance of Blastocystis sp. and the need for surveillance in public health intervention programs.
本研究采用针对芽囊原虫 SSU rRNA 的 PCR 检测方法，对来自土耳其中安纳托利亚和中黑海地区的 1340 份农场动物和宠物动物新鲜粪便样本进行了调查。在农场动物中，包括牛、羊、水牛和鸡，发现芽囊原虫总流行率为 19.4%（183/940）。狗、猫和马的粪便样本均为阴性。在农场动物中，芽囊原虫的最高流行率出现在绵羊（38.2%）中。SSU rRNA 序列分析显示了两种动物特异性亚型，包括牛和绵羊中的 ST10 以及水牛中的 ST14。在鸡中鉴定出了人兽共患亚型 ST7。我们的研究结果表明，在土耳其，牲畜中存在高比例的动物特异性亚型，而鸡中存在人兽共患亚型 ST7，这突显了鸡在研究地区传播芽囊原虫的潜在风险。本研究是土耳其首次对动物宿主中芽囊原虫进行的大规模评估，为芽囊原虫的分子流行病学和遗传学做出了贡献。我们的研究结果应引起当局的重视，表明芽囊原虫具有重要的人兽共患性，需要在公共卫生干预计划中进行监测。
