Ghanbari Fariborz, Ashrafi Keyhan, Fasihi Harandi Majid, Abbaszadeh Somayeh, Ashouri Asieh, Hajialilo Elham, Sharifdini Meysam
Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Research Center for Hydatid Disease in Iran, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 May;11(3):e70328. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70328.
Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato is one of the most important zoonotic parasites in many regions of the world. Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a major economic and public health challenge in Iran.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence and genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from slaughtered buffaloes in Guilan Province, northern Iran.
We examined 384 buffaloes at the Talesh county abattoir, isolating 42 hydatid cysts. We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) genes for genotype analysis. Molecular phylogeny and haplotype network analysis was performed for the isolates.
Our results showed that 10.9% of the buffaloes were infected with hydatid cysts, with 90.5% of infections in the liver and 9.5% in the lungs. Only one liver cyst was fertile; the rest were non-fertile. Amongst the infected animals, 21.4% (9/42) were male, and 78.6% (33/42) were female. No significant gender-related difference in infection rates was observed (p = 0.057); however, a significant relationship was found between age groups and infection (p = 0.030). Sequence analysis identified all isolates as belonging to the G1 genotype of E. granulosus, with five haplotypes being identified.
The study highlights the high prevalence of hydatid cysts in buffaloes, though fertility was low, suggesting a minor role for buffaloes in CE epidemiology in this region. Similar to other studies, our research shows that infection rates increase significantly with age.
细粒棘球绦虫广义种是世界许多地区最重要的人畜共患寄生虫之一。囊型包虫病（CE）是伊朗面临的一项重大经济和公共卫生挑战。
本研究旨在确定伊朗北部吉兰省屠宰水牛中细粒棘球绦虫分离株的流行率和基因型。
我们在 Talesh 县屠宰场检查了 384 头水牛，分离出 42 个包虫囊肿。我们对线粒体细胞色素 c 氧化酶亚基 1（CO1）和 NADH 脱氢酶亚基 1（ND1）基因进行测序以进行基因型分析。对分离株进行了分子系统发育和单倍型网络分析。
我们的结果表明，10.9%的水牛感染了包虫囊肿，其中 90.5%的感染发生在肝脏，9.5%在肺部。只有一个肝囊肿是有生育能力的；其余的没有生育能力。在受感染的动物中，21.4%（9/42）为雄性，78.6%（33/42）为雌性。未观察到感染率与性别之间存在显著差异（p = 0.057）；然而，发现年龄组与感染之间存在显著关系（p = 0.030）。序列分析确定所有分离株均属于细粒棘球绦虫的 G1 基因型，共鉴定出五种单倍型。
该研究突出了水牛中包虫囊肿的高流行率，尽管生育能力较低，这表明水牛在该地区 CE 流行病学中的作用较小。与其他研究类似，我们的研究表明感染率随年龄显著增加。
