Liu Ya-Ya, Qin Rui-Lin, Mei Jin-Jin, Zou Yang, Zhang Zhen-Huan, Zheng Wen-Bin, Liu Qing, Zhu Xing-Quan, Gao Wen-Wei, Xie Shi-Chen
Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, China.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Oct 27;12(21):2961. doi: 10.3390/ani12212961.
Enterocytozoon bieneusi is an intracellular pathogen that can parasitize humans and a variety of animals. The infection of E. bieneusi in most hosts is asymptomatic, but in immunocompromised individuals, it can lead to serious complications such as acute diarrhea, dehydration, and even death. However, no data on the prevalence and genotyping of E. bieneusi in beef cattle in Shanxi province are currently available. In this study, a total of 401 fecal samples were collected from beef cattle in farms from two representative counties—Qi county and Jishan county—in Shanxi province, north China. Nested PCR was applied to determine the prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi by amplifying and sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rRNA gene. A total of 90 out of 401 samples were detected as E. bieneusi-positive, with 22.44% overall prevalence of E. bieneusi in beef cattle in Shanxi province. The highest prevalence of E. bieneusi was detected in calves (28.67%, 41/143) and male beef cattle (28.13%, 54/192). Statistical analysis revealed that the prevalence of E. bieneusi was significantly associated with gender and age factors (p < 0.05), but without any statistical difference among regions. Moreover, six known E. bieneusi genotypes (BEB4, BEB6, BEB8, J, I, and PigSpEb2) and two novel genotypes (designated CSC1 and CSC2) were identified by analysis of ITS sequences, and genotype I was the predominant genotype in these two counties. Phylogenetic analysis showed that five known genotypes and two novel genotypes were clustered into Group 2, but PigSpEb2 belonged to Group 1. To our knowledge, the present study demonstrated the presence and identified genotypes of E. bieneusi in beef cattle in Shanxi province for the first time, extending the data on prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in beef cattle and providing baseline data for executing intervention measures to control it in the study regions.
微小隐孢子虫是一种可寄生于人类和多种动物的细胞内病原体。微小隐孢子虫在大多数宿主体内的感染是无症状的，但在免疫功能低下的个体中，它可导致严重并发症，如急性腹泻、脱水甚至死亡。然而，目前尚无关于山西省肉牛微小隐孢子虫流行率和基因分型的数据。在本研究中，从中国北方山西省两个具有代表性的县——祁县和稷山县的养殖场采集了401份肉牛粪便样本。采用巢式PCR通过扩增和测序rRNA基因的内部转录间隔区（ITS）来确定微小隐孢子虫的流行率和基因型。401份样本中共有90份被检测为微小隐孢子虫阳性，山西省肉牛微小隐孢子虫的总体流行率为22.44%。微小隐孢子虫在犊牛（28.67%，41/143）和雄性肉牛（28.13%，54/192）中的流行率最高。统计分析表明，微小隐孢子虫的流行率与性别和年龄因素显著相关（p<0.05），但各地区之间无统计学差异。此外，通过ITS序列分析鉴定出6种已知的微小隐孢子虫基因型（BEB4、BEB6、BEB8、J、I和PigSpEb2）和2种新基因型（命名为CSC1和CSC2），基因型I是这两个县的主要基因型。系统发育分析表明，5种已知基因型和2种新基因型聚类到第2组，但PigSpEb2属于第1组。据我们所知，本研究首次证实了山西省肉牛中存在微小隐孢子虫并鉴定了其基因型，扩展了肉牛微小隐孢子虫流行率和基因型的数据，并为在研究地区实施控制其传播的干预措施提供了基线数据。
