Prevalence and subtypes of in wild rodents from three provinces in China.

INTRODUCTION

is one of the most critical intestinal protozoans in various hosts, including humans and mice. To determine the status of infection in wild rodents in China.

METHODS

A total of 344 faecal samples were collected from seven wild rodent species from three provinces, and the small subunit ribosomal RNA ( rRNA) genes of were amplified to determine their prevalence and subtypes.

RESULTS

Of the 344 samples, 54 (15.70%) were detected as positive. The prevalence of was 26.14% (40/153), 7.95% (7/88), and 6.80% (7/103) in wild rodents from Hunan Province, Yunnan Province, and Guangxi Province, respectively. The prevalence of in different wild rodent species varied from 0.00% (0/13) in to 40.00% (2/5) in . The prevalence of in samples from the lake beach area (27.40%, 40/146) was significantly higher than in those from the mountain (6.80%, 7/103) and field regions (7.37%, 7/95). The prevalence in different seasons was 26.14% in summer (40/153), 7.95% in autumn (7/88), and 6.80% in winter (7/103). Moreover, a total of two subtypes were identified in the investigated wild rodents, including ST4 and ST5.

DISCUSSION

The present study discovered the existence of infection in , , , , , and , expanding the host range of this parasite. The findings also demonstrate that wild rodents may be an important potential infection source for infection in humans and other animals.