Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education; Hainan Medical University-The University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medicine and Life Sciences, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
Department of Tropical Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China.
Acta Trop. 2024 Oct;258:107353. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107353. Epub 2024 Aug 8.
Blastocystis is one of the most common zoonotic intestinal protozoa with global distribution and can cause gastrointestinal syndrome mainly characterized by diarrhea. School children are the main susceptible population. No epidemiological data on Blastocystis among school children in Hainan, the only tropical island province in China. Between March 2021 and June 2023, 1973 fecal samples were collected from school children across three regions in Hainan province. Blastocystis was examined by amplifying the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subtypes were identified through DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The overall prevalence of Blastocystis was 7.3 % (144/1973). The differences in infection rates across different regions, nationalities, and educational stages are statistically significant (P < 0.001). Five subtypes were identified, of which ST3 was the dominant subtype (60.4 %; 87/144), followed by ST1 (27.8 %; 40/144), ST7 (10.4 %; 15/144), ST6 (0.7 %; 1/144), and ST2 (0.7 %; 1/144). 42 known sequences and 15 novel sequences were identified including eight new variations of the ST1 (ST1-16∼ST1-23) with similarities ranging from 98.3 % to 99.78 % and seven new variations of the ST7 (ST7-7∼ST7-13) with similarities ranging from 97.7 % to 99.79 % by intra-subtype genetic polymorphisms analysis. The results evaluate the public health risks of Blastocystis among school children in Hainan and the sources of infection were discussed, providing important basic data for the effective prevention and control of intestinal parasitic diseases in Hainan.
人芽囊原虫是分布广泛的常见肠道共生原虫之一，主要引起以腹泻为主的胃肠道综合征。儿童是主要易感人群。海南省作为中国唯一的热带岛屿省份，尚无芽囊原虫感染的流行病学数据。2021 年 3 月至 2023 年 6 月，从海南省三个地区的在校儿童收集了 1973 份粪便样本。通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）扩增小亚基核糖体 RNA（SSU rRNA）基因来检查芽囊原虫，通过 DNA 测序和系统发育分析来鉴定亚型。芽囊原虫总感染率为 7.3%（144/1973）。不同地区、民族和教育阶段的感染率差异有统计学意义（P<0.001）。鉴定出 5 种亚型，其中 ST3 是优势亚型（60.4%；87/144），其次是 ST1（27.8%；40/144）、ST7（10.4%；15/144）、ST6（0.7%；1/144）和 ST2（0.7%；1/144）。鉴定出 42 个已知序列和 15 个新序列，包括 ST1 的 8 种新变异（ST1-16∼ST1-23），相似度为 98.3%至 99.78%，以及 ST7 的 7 种新变异（ST7-7∼ST7-13），相似度为 97.7%至 99.79%，通过亚型内遗传多态性分析。结果评估了海南省在校儿童芽囊原虫的公共卫生风险，并讨论了感染源，为海南省肠道寄生虫病的有效防治提供了重要的基础数据。
