College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China.
College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan 528231, Guangdong, PR China.
Parasite. 2021;28:81. doi: 10.1051/parasite/2021081. Epub 2021 Dec 14.
Blastocystis sp., a parasitic eukaryote, widely colonizes the intestines of humans and a large number of animals, including rodents and lagomorphs. More than 30 million bamboo rats (Rhizomys sinensis) are farmed in China as a source of meat for human consumption. However, there have been no published articles on Blastocystis infection in Chinese bamboo rats prior to the present study. Herein, 480 fresh faecal samples were collected from R. sinensis on six farms located in four cities (Wugang, Chenzhou, Huaihua and Jishou) in Hunan Province, south-central China, and were examined for Blastocystis infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. The total prevalence of Blastocystis in R. sinensis was 4.58% (22/480), and significant differences in prevalence were detected among four age groups (<6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months and >24 months), with the highest prevalence (7.81%) in rats aged 6-12 months but with no positive samples in rats over 24 months. All farms, except for one in Jishou, were positive for Blastocystis infection, with the prevalence ranging from 1.80% to 7.27%. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed two potentially zoonotic subtypes (namely ST4 and ST5) in these rodents, with ST4 predominant in all except one farm in Huaihua. Seven and five sequence types were identified within ST4 and ST5, respectively. This is the first report of Blastocystis infection in Chinese bamboo rats and the findings suggest the potential of R. sinensis to transmit Blastocystis to humans.
纤毛原生动物 Blastocystis sp. 广泛定植于人类和大量动物的肠道中，包括啮齿动物和兔形目动物。中国有超过 3000 万只竹鼠（Rhizomys sinensis）作为人类食用的肉类来源进行养殖。然而，在本研究之前，尚未有关于中国竹鼠 Blastocystis 感染的发表文章。在此，从湖南省四个城市（武冈、郴州、怀化和吉首）的六个农场采集了 480 份新鲜粪便样本，通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）靶向小亚基核糖体 RNA（SSU rRNA）基因检测 Blastocystis 感染。竹鼠 Blastocystis 的总感染率为 4.58%（22/480），在四个年龄组（<6 个月、6-12 个月、12-24 个月和>24 个月）中存在显著差异，6-12 个月龄的大鼠感染率最高（7.81%），但 24 个月以上的大鼠没有阳性样本。除了吉首的一个农场外，所有农场都检测到 Blastocystis 感染，感染率从 1.80%到 7.27%不等。序列和系统发育分析显示，这些啮齿动物中存在两种潜在的人畜共患亚型（即 ST4 和 ST5），除了怀化市的一个农场外，其他农场均以 ST4 为主。在 ST4 和 ST5 中分别鉴定出 7 种和 5 种序列类型。这是首次报道中国竹鼠 Blastocystis 感染，研究结果表明，竹鼠可能将 Blastocystis 传播给人类。
