Jiang Yanyan, Yuan Zhongying, Wang Xu, Zhang Hongling, Zhou Hao, Wu Weiping, Shen Yujuan, Cao Jianping
National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese Center for Tropical Diseases Research), World Health Organization Centre for Tropical Diseases, Shanghai 200025, China.
Jiagedaqi District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Daxing'anling 165000, China.
Vet Sci. 2025 Sep 15;12(9):897. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12090897.
() is a globally distributed microsporidian that infects both humans and animals. However, reports on its occurrence in free-ranging sheep and domestic dogs from rural areas are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of among freely grazing sheep and household dogs in the Hinggan Mountain region of China. A total of 235 fecal samples were collected, consisting of 95 from sheep and 140 from dogs, and screened for by nested PCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) within the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene. The total infection rate of amounted to 3.0% (7/235), with sheep exhibiting a rate of 5.3% (5/95) and dogs demonstrating a rate of 1.4% (2/140). Sequence analysis identified two known genotypes in sheep (BEB6 and NESH4, both within phylogenetic group 2) and one known genotype in dogs (CHN-F1, phylogenetic group 1), with CHN-F1 being reported in dogs for the first time. Importantly, the detection of BEB6, a genotype previously associated with human infection, suggests that sheep could act as a potential reservoir contributing to zoonotic transmission and environmental contamination. These findings expand knowledge of the genotype spectrum of in rural animal populations and provide evidence of possible cross-species transmission between humans and the surveyed animals in the region.
（某种微孢子虫）是一种全球分布的微孢子虫，可感染人类和动物。然而，关于其在自由放养绵羊和农村地区家犬中出现情况的报道有限。本研究的目的是调查中国兴安岭地区自由放牧绵羊和家犬中该微孢子虫的流行率和基因型分布。共收集了235份粪便样本，其中95份来自绵羊，140份来自犬，通过针对核糖体DNA（rDNA）基因内部转录间隔区（ITS）的巢式PCR对该微孢子虫进行筛查。该微孢子虫的总感染率为3.0%（7/235），绵羊的感染率为5.3%（5/95），犬的感染率为1.4%（2/140）。序列分析在绵羊中鉴定出两种已知基因型（BEB6和NESH4，均在系统发育组2内），在犬中鉴定出一种已知基因型（CHN-F1，系统发育组1），其中CHN-F1是首次在犬中报道。重要的是，检测到先前与人类感染相关的基因型BEB6，这表明绵羊可能作为潜在宿主，促成动物源性传播和环境污染。这些发现扩展了农村动物群体中该微孢子虫基因型谱的知识，并为该地区人类与被调查动物之间可能的跨物种传播提供了证据。
