Solarczyk Piotr, Perec-Matysiak Agnieszka, Wojtkowiak-Giera Agnieszka, Heddergott Mike
Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland.
Department of Parasitology, University of Wrocław, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland.
Pathogens. 2025 May 16;14(5):489. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14050489.
Microsporidiosis is a zoonotic disease that derives from disparate sources. Most of the microsporidial agents are host-specific but some are capable of interspecies transmission, causing disease in various animals including humans. Human microsporidiosis may be caused by 17 species, with , and mostly being responsible for human infections worldwide. Wildlife and migratory waterfowl can serve as reservoirs of these human-infectious agents and play a significant role in disseminating these pathogens into the environment. The aim of the study was to detect , and in wild, migratory greater white-fronted geese () and other Anatidae members in feacal samples obtained in north-western Poland, using a molecular method. We collected 189 fecal droppings from Anatidae species (75 samples from greater white-fronted geese and 114 from other spp.) during autumn migration. New species specific primers for PCR amplification were used to amplify a fragment of the small subunit ribosomal (SSU) rRNA of , and . All fecal droppings were negative for and whereas was detected in 6 of 189 fecal samples (3.2%; 95% CI: 1.3-6.3%). In total, 1 of 75 tested fecal samples of greater white-fronted geese was positive (1.3%; 95% CI: 0.08-5.7%) while 5 of 114 (4.4%; 95% CI: 1.6-9.1%) tested fecal samples without exact species affiliation (only sp.) were also positive. The phylogenetic analysis placed the sequences obtained from the birds' droppings in the clade from various rodents, wild carnivores and humans. Our results provide the first description of the occurrence and genotyping of the microsporidian in greater white-fronted geese and in other members of the Anserinae Subfamily. Our findings support the results of other authors that may originate from diverse sources, including common waterfowl. Our results are important in a One Health context, as wild migrating waterfowl may disseminate this zoonotic agent in remote regions through their migratory behaviour. These species should be considered significant sources of zoonotic pathogens, potentially hazardous to domestic and farmed animals as well as humans.
微孢子虫病是一种源自不同源头的人畜共患病。大多数微孢子虫病原体具有宿主特异性，但有些能够跨物种传播，可在包括人类在内的各种动物中引发疾病。人类微孢子虫病可能由17个物种引起，其中 、 和 在全球范围内主要导致人类感染。野生动物和迁徙水禽可作为这些人类感染性病原体的宿主，并在将这些病原体传播到环境中发挥重要作用。本研究的目的是使用分子方法，在波兰西北部采集的野生、迁徙的白额雁粪便样本以及其他鸭科动物成员的粪便样本中检测 、 和 。在秋季迁徙期间，我们从鸭科动物中收集了189份粪便样本（75份来自白额雁，114份来自其他 物种）。使用新的物种特异性引物进行PCR扩增，以扩增 、 和 的小亚基核糖体（SSU）rRNA片段。所有粪便样本对 和 均呈阴性，而在189份粪便样本中有6份检测到 （3.2%；95%置信区间：1.3-6.3%）。在75份检测的白额雁粪便样本中，共有1份呈阳性（1.3%；95%置信区间：0.08-5.7%），而在114份（4.4%；95%置信区间：1.6-9.1%）未明确物种归属（仅 属）的检测粪便样本中也有5份呈阳性。系统发育分析将从鸟类粪便中获得的序列置于来自各种啮齿动物、野生食肉动物和人类的 进化枝中。我们的结果首次描述了微孢子虫 在白额雁和雁亚科其他成员中的出现情况和基因分型。我们的发现支持了其他作者的结果，即 可能源自多种来源，包括常见水禽。我们的结果在“同一健康”背景下很重要，因为野生迁徙水禽可能通过其迁徙行为在偏远地区传播这种人畜共患病原体。这些物种应被视为重要的人畜共患病原体来源，可能对家畜和养殖动物以及人类构成潜在危害。
