The Prevalence And Molecular Identification Of Common Intestinal Protozoans In Farmed Foxes,Minks And Raccoon Dogs In Some Areas Of Shandong Province

Enterocytozoon bieneusi,Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis sp.are three species of opportunistic intestinal protozoans,which can infect humans and various species of animals.They can cause gastrointestinal diseases such as persistent diarrhea,wasting syndrome and death.Many infected animals may be a potential source of transmission to humans,and thus have a significant public health impact.Foxes,minks and raccoon dogs are valuable animals due to their fur and have economic significance.However,little is known about intestinal parasite prevalence and genotypes in farmed foxes,minks and raccoon dogs in Shandong Province,China.Therefore,the objectives of the present study were to examine the prevalence and genotype distribution of the three species of intestinal protozoans in Shandong Province,which have important implications for the prevention and control of intestinal protozoan infections.In this study,a total of 1050 fecal samples(344 from foxes,366 from raccoon dogs and 350 from minks)were collected in Weihai,Weifang,and Yantai cities in Shandong Province,China to detected the prevalence and genotypes of E.bieneui,Blastocystis and Giardia lamblia based on ITS,SSU rRNA and bg,gdh and tpi loci,respectively.The E.bieneui-positive samples were further analyzed for genetic diversity of ITS genotypes using MLST based on 3 microsatellites(MS1,MS3,MS7)and 1 minisatellite(MS4).The difference in prevalence from different regions,genders,species,and age groups was analyzed by statistical method.Phylogenetic tree was constructed using the neighbor-joining(NJ)method to evaluate the phylogenetic relationship and the potential public health risks in the study areas.Results show that the overall E.bieneusi prevalence in farmed foxes,raccoon dogs and minks was 9.0%(31/344),6.5%(23/356)and 5.4%(19/350),respectively.Eight known(Hum-q1,NCF2,HND-1,D,CHG1,EbpC,Peru 8 and Type Ⅳ)and two novel E.bieneusi genotypes(SDF1 and SDF2)were identified.Expect for CHG1 which belonged to adaptive group,all other E.bieneusi genotypes belonged to the zoonotic group based on phylogenetic analysis.The overall G.lamblia prevalence in farmed foxes,raccoon dogs and minks was 0.8%(3/344),1.7%(6/356)and 0.3%(1/350),respectively.Phylogenetic analysis indicates that there are three genotypes(assembles B,assembles D and assembles E).The overall Blastocystis prevalence in farmed foxes,raccoon dogs and minks was 1.5%(5/344),0.3%(1/356)and 0(0/350),respectively.Two subtypes(ST10 and ST14)were identified.The present study revealed the prevalence and genotype distribution of three species of intestinal protozoans in farmed foxes,raccoon dogs and minks in Shandong Province,which enlarged the host and geographic information of intestinal protozoans in China and evaluated the possibility of transmission of these intestinal protozoans between fur-bearing animals and humans.These findings not only extend the understanding of the prevalence and genotype distribution of intestinal protozoans in fur-bearing animals,but also provide baseline data for the prevention and control of these protozoans in these animals.