Search

Enterocytozoon bieneusi , the most important and common microsporidian species, inhabits in most animals and humans causing diarrhea and systemic diseases. The objectives of the present study were to examine the prevalence and genetic variability of E. bieneusi in pigs in Shaanxi province, northwestern China. A total of 560 pig faecal samples were collected from five different farms in Shaanxi province and molecularly characterized using multilocus genotyping (MLST) technology. High E. bieneusi infection rate (78.9%) was observed in these samples. 12 known and 22 possible novel ITS genotypes were identified, with the novel SZZD1 as the predominant genotype distributed in all age groups and pig farms. 32 (including 11 known and 21 novel ones) of them belong to the zoonotic group 1. MLST analysis showed that 109 ITS positive samples formed 87 distinct multilocus genotypes (MLGs). An incomplete linkage disequilibrium (LD) and clonal genetic structure of E. bieneusi were found in pigs in Shaanxi province. These findings indicated the complex population structures of E. bieneusi in pigs in Shaanxi province and provided baseline data for better understanding of the epidemiological status of E. bieneusi in this province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, and giardiasis contribute significantly to the high burden of zoonotic diarrhea worldwide. Goats constitute an important species in animal agriculture by providing cashmere wool, meat, and dairy products for human consumption. However, zoonotic pathogens with the potential to cause morbidity and to degrade production have been reported frequently in goats recently. The present study examined 629 fecal specimens from goats, including 315 cashmere goats, 170 dairy goats and 144 meat goats, in multiple cities of Shaanxi and Henan provinces, northwestern and central China, to investigate the infection rate and species/assemblages/genotypes of Giardia duodenalis , Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi . Of these samples, 274 (43.6%) were positive for three zoonotic pathogens, including 80 (12.7%), 104 (16.5%) and 179 (28.5%) for G. duodenalis , Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi , respectively. Infections with G. duodenalis , Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi existed in meat, dairy and cashmere goats, with the highest infection rate of each pathogen being observed in meat goats. DNA sequencing of the SSU rRNA gene from 104 Cryptosporidium -positive specimens revealed existence of Cryptosporidium xiaoi , and the zoonotic parasites Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium ubiquitum . Genotyping of G. duodenalis based on the triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) gene identified parasites from zoonotic assemblage A in four cashmere goats and the animal-adapted assemblage E in a group of 76 goats that included cashmere, dairy and meat animals. Polymorphisms in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer characterized E. bieneusi genotype CHG1 and a novel genotype named as SX1 in both dairy and cashmere goats, genotypes CHS7 and COSI in meat goats, the genotype CHG2 in dairy goats, and the human-pathogenic genotype BEB6 in dairy and meat goats. This is the first detailed study to compare infection rate of the zoonotic protozoan pathogens in cashmere, dairy and meat goats in China. Our research discovered Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi infections, each with zoonotic potential in meat goats, and G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in cashmere goats raising a significant public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]