Xinxiang Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, PR China.
These authors contributed equally.
Folia Parasitol (Praha). 2022 Nov 21;69:2022.027. doi: 10.14411/fp.2022.027.
Species of Blastocystis Alexieff, 1911 are anaerobic intestinal protists found in humans and many kinds of animals that mainly cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and other clinical symptoms. At present, data on the prevalence and subtype diversity of species of Blastocystis in domestic rabbits are very limited. The purpose of this study was to characterise the infection rate and gene subtype distribution of Blastocystis sp. in domestic rabbits in Henan Province, Central China, and provide foundation for prevention and control of the disease caused by Blastocystis sp. in domestic rabbits. DNA was extracted from 286 fresh rabbit faecal samples collected from four areas of Henan Province, Central China. All DNA samples were screened using PCR and positive samples were sequenced to identify individual subtypes based on the small ribosomal subunit (SSU rRNA) gene. The overall infection rate of Blastocystis sp. in domestic rabbits in Henan Province was 15% (43/286). Three subtypes were identified, including ST1 (26/43, 60%), ST3 (5/43, 12%) and ST7 (12/43, 28%), all of which belonged to potentially zoonotic subtypes, ST1 was the dominant gene subtype. These results showed that infection with Blastocystis sp. was common in domestic rabbits in Henan Province, Central China, and was represented by zoonotic subtypes. Therefore, special attention should be paid to reduce the risk of transmission of Blastocystis sp. from domestic rabbits to humans.
布氏隐孢子虫物种是一种厌氧肠道原生动物，存在于人类和许多种动物中，主要引起腹泻、腹痛等临床症状。目前，国内兔种布氏隐孢子虫的流行情况和亚型多样性数据非常有限。本研究旨在描述中国中部河南省家兔中布氏隐孢子虫的感染率和基因亚型分布，为防控布氏隐孢子虫病提供依据。从中国中部河南省四个地区采集的 286 份新鲜兔粪便样本中提取 DNA。所有 DNA 样本均采用 PCR 进行筛查，阳性样本根据小核糖体亚单位（SSU rRNA）基因进行个体亚型鉴定。河南省家兔布氏隐孢子虫的总感染率为 15%（43/286）。鉴定出 3 种亚型，包括 ST1（26/43，60%）、ST3（5/43，12%）和 ST7（12/43，28%），均属于潜在的人畜共患病亚型，ST1 是主要的基因亚型。这些结果表明，布氏隐孢子虫在家兔中感染较为普遍，以人畜共患病亚型为主。因此，应特别注意减少布氏隐孢子虫从家兔向人类传播的风险。
