Studies On Prevalence And Population Structure Of Blastocystis Sp.in Partial Rare Wild Animals Of Qinling Area

Blastocystissp.,one common protozoa inhabiting in gastrointestinal tracts worldwidewhichismoreprevalentinundeveloped countries and regions,posing a negative impact on both human health and animals growth by causing disorders of the digestive system such as abdominal pain and diarrhea.The host range of Blastocystis sp.is extensive including birds and mammals.Previous studies indicated that wild animals might play some roles in transmission of Blastocystis sp.between humans and animals,possessingriskin public health.Thus,grasping the infection status and genetic structure of this pathogen is of great significance on revealingits transmission patterns to assess its zoonotic potential as well as to maintain regular state of digestive system.With regard of abundant and unique wild animal resources in Qinling area,the objectives of the present study were to investigate the infection situation and to identify the subtypes of Blastocystis sp.positive isolates in partial captive rare wild animals in this area by using molecular biological methods.The results were as followings.1.A total of 497 faecal samples from 37 wild animal species in Qinling Mountains were collected from June 2015 to January 2016.The PCR product of Blastocystis sp.sample was a gene fragment of 1,100 bp.Of all samples from seven animal groups,200(40.2%)were positive for Blastocystis sp.,among them,the infection rates of the protest in nonhuman primates(75.9%)and marsupialia(72.7%)were higher than that in Artiodactyla(56.3%)and Perissodactyla(22.2%),and the infection rates in Aves(2.2%)were lowest.No Blastocystis sp.was detected in Proboscidae and Carnivora.The pony,mongolia wild ass,takin,alpaca,bushbuck,eland,sika deer,wapiti,wild yak,Lechwe water buck,and white-lipped deer were reported with Blastocystis sp.infection for the first time worldwide.The infection situation in two wildlife captive sites had no difference,but the situation changed with seasonal changes.2.13 subtypes of Blastocystis sp.were found in the present study based on the phylogenetic analysis of sequences of SSU rRNA gene including eight known subtypes(STs 1-3,5,10,12-14)and five possible novel subtypes(temporarily named as STs 18-22),with ST10 as the predominate subtype distributed in 17 kinds of wild animals.STs 1-3 and 5 possessed zoonotic potential amongeight known subtypes,and among five possible novel subtypes,ST19 and ST20 might be zoonotic subtypes.The subtype ST5 was detected in an ostrich for the first time.