Parasitology Reference and Research Laboratory, Spanish National Centre for Microbiology, Health Institute Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain.
Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
Med Mycol. 2022 Sep 30;60(9). doi: 10.1093/mmy/myac070.
Microsporidia comprises a diverse group of obligate, intracellular, and spore-forming parasites that infect a wide range of animals. Among them, Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most frequently reported species in humans and other mammals and birds. Data on the epidemiology of E. bieneusi in wildlife are limited. Hence, E. bieneusi was investigated in eight wild ungulate species present in Spain (genera Ammotragus, Capra, Capreolus, Cervus, Dama, Ovis, Rupicapra, and Sus) by molecular methods. Faecal samples were collected from free-ranging (n = 1058) and farmed (n = 324) wild ungulates from five Spanish bioregions. The parasite was detected only in red deer (10.4%, 68/653) and wild boar (0.8%, 3/359). Enterocytozoon bieneusi infections were more common in farmed (19.4%, 63/324) than in wild (1.5%, 5/329) red deer. A total of 11 genotypes were identified in red deer, eight known (BEB6, BEB17, EbCar2, HLJD-V, MWC_d1, S5, Type IV, and Wildboar3) and three novel (DeerSpEb1, DeerSpEb2, and DeerSpEb3) genotypes. Mixed genotype infections were detected in 15.9% of farmed red deer. Two genotypes were identified in wild boar, a known (Wildboar3) and a novel (WildboarSpEb1) genotypes. All genotypes identified belonged to E. bieneusi zoonotic Groups 1 and 2. This study provides the most comprehensive epidemiological study of E. bieneusi in Spanish ungulates to date, representing the first evidence of the parasite in wild red deer populations worldwide. Spanish wild boars and red deer are reservoir of zoonotic genotypes of E. bieneusi and might play an underestimated role in the transmission of this microsporidian species to humans and other animals.
微孢子虫是一类广泛存在于动物体内的专性、内共生和孢子形成寄生虫。其中，肠微孢子虫是人类和其他哺乳动物及鸟类中最常报告的物种。野生动物中肠微孢子虫的流行病学数据有限。因此，本研究采用分子方法对西班牙 8 种野生有蹄类动物（Ammotragus、Capra、Capreolus、Cervus、Dama、Ovis、Rupicapra 和 Sus 属）中的肠微孢子虫进行了调查。从西班牙五个生物区的自由放养（n=1058）和农场饲养（n=324）的野生有蹄类动物中采集粪便样本。仅在马鹿（10.4%，68/653）和野猪（0.8%，3/359）中检测到肠微孢子虫。农场饲养的马鹿（19.4%，63/324）比野生马鹿（1.5%，5/329）更常发生肠微孢子虫感染。在马鹿中鉴定出 11 种基因型，其中 8 种为已知基因型（BEB6、BEB17、EbCar2、HLJD-V、MWC_d1、S5、Type IV 和 Wildboar3），3 种为新型基因型（DeerSpEb1、DeerSpEb2 和 DeerSpEb3）。在 15.9%的农场饲养的马鹿中检测到混合基因型感染。在野猪中鉴定出 2 种基因型，一种为已知基因型（Wildboar3），另一种为新型基因型（WildboarSpEb1）。所有鉴定的基因型均属于肠微孢子虫的人畜共患 1 型和 2 型。本研究提供了迄今为止西班牙有蹄类动物中肠微孢子虫最全面的流行病学研究，代表了该寄生虫在全球野生马鹿种群中的首次发现。西班牙野猪和马鹿是肠微孢子虫的人畜共患基因型的储存宿主，可能在该微孢子虫物种向人类和其他动物传播中发挥了被低估的作用。
