Zou Yang, Wang Yu-Gui, Liu Zhong-Li, Guo Ai-Jiang, Li Xiao-Lu, Shi Zhi-Qi, Zhu Xing-Quan, Han Xiu-Min, Wang Shuai
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, China.
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
Biology (Basel). 2022 May 18;11(5):773. doi: 10.3390/biology11050773.
Blastocystis is a common human intestinal protozoan parasite. Little is known about its prevalence in echinococcosis. This study tested whether Echinococcus multilocularis infection would increase host susceptibility to Blastocystis. A total of 114 fecal samples (68 hydatid disease patients and 46 healthy people) were collected from Tibetans in the Qinghai province in China. The presence of Blastocystis was identified by sequencing of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene. Balb/c mice were co-infected with Blastocystis and E. multilocularis and tested for host susceptibility to Blastocystis. The overall Blastocystis prevalence was 12.3%; 16.2% in the patients and 4.4% in healthy people (p < 0.05). Sequence analysis identified three known Blastocystis genotypes, including ST1, ST2, and ST3, and one unknown genotype. Experimental dual infection significantly reduced mouse survival rate (20%), induced more severe signs, and increased intestinal damages with a higher intestinal colonization level of Blastocystis. The mouse model showed that E. multilocularis infection increases host susceptibility to Blastocystis. Our study shows a significantly higher prevalence of Blastocystis in patients with liver echinococcosis and reveals that non-intestinal E. multilocularis infection increases host susceptibility to the Blastocystis. Our results highlight that E. multilocularis infection is associated with Blastocystis. These findings remind us that more attention should be paid to the gut health of the patients with a helminth infection during clinical patient care.
芽囊原虫是一种常见的人体肠道原生动物寄生虫。关于其在棘球蚴病中的流行情况知之甚少。本研究测试了多房棘球绦虫感染是否会增加宿主对芽囊原虫的易感性。在中国青海省藏族人群中总共收集了114份粪便样本（68例包虫病患者和46名健康人）。通过小亚基（SSU）rRNA基因测序鉴定芽囊原虫的存在。将Balb/c小鼠同时感染芽囊原虫和多房棘球绦虫，并测试宿主对芽囊原虫的易感性。芽囊原虫的总体流行率为12.3%；患者中为16.2%，健康人中为4.4%（p<0.05）。序列分析鉴定出三种已知的芽囊原虫基因型，包括ST1、ST2和ST3，以及一种未知基因型。实验性双重感染显著降低了小鼠存活率（20%），诱发了更严重的体征，并增加了肠道损伤，同时芽囊原虫的肠道定植水平更高。小鼠模型表明，多房棘球绦虫感染增加了宿主对芽囊原虫的易感性。我们的研究表明，肝包虫病患者中芽囊原虫的流行率显著更高，并揭示非肠道多房棘球绦虫感染增加了宿主对芽囊原虫的易感性。我们的结果突出表明，多房棘球绦虫感染与芽囊原虫有关。这些发现提醒我们，在临床患者护理期间，应更加关注蠕虫感染患者的肠道健康。
