Infection Of Intestinal Parasites And Molecular Epidemiological Investigation Of Three Intestinal Protozoa In Pet Cats In Some Areas Of Henan

Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis are two important zoonotic intestinal parasitic protozoa that can infect a variety of mammals,including humans and cats,and cause severe diarrhea.Trichomonas foetus,an important pathogen causing colonic diarrhea in cats,is parasitic in a variety of hosts at different sites and may have a zoonotic risk.In recent years,due to the deepening of aging and the impact of the epidemic,people have a strong emotional demand for decompression-type healing companion animals such as cats.The rapid increase in cat breeding has brought great risks to public health.At present,cat parasitic diseases are closely related to human health,but there are few reports on cat-derived intestinal parasites in Henan Province.The phylogenetic data of important parasites such as Cryptosporidium spp.,Giardia duodenalis and Trichomonas foetus are relatively limited.Therefore,this study investigated the infection of intestinal parasites in pet cats in 11 prefecture-level cities in Henan Province,explored the prevalence and phylogenetic development of three important intestinal protozoa in cats,and provided reference data for the prevention and control of cat-derived intestinal parasites in Henan Province.In this study,a total of 898 fecal samples of pet cats were collected from 11prefecture-level cities in Henan Province,and the relevant study results are as follows:(1)Microscopic examination showed that the total infection rate of intestinal parasites was 10.58%(95/898).A total of 6 parasites were detected,including Cysticercus isosporus,Clonorchis sinensis,Hookworm,Blastocystis,Giardia and Ascaris.The infection rates were5.23%(47/898),3.12%(28/898),1.78%(16/898),0.78%(7/898),0.33%(3/898)and 0.33%(3/898),respectively.Cysticercus isosporus and Clonorchis sinensis were the dominant species.The mixed infection rate of intestinal parasites in pet cats was 1.45 %(13/898).In this study,five species of zoonotic parasites(Clonorchis sinensis,Hookworm,Blastocystis,Giardia and Ascaris)were detected by microscopic examination.Factors such as regional distribution,age,deworming,immunity,and diarrhea are associated with intestinal parasitic infections in pet cats.Among them,young,non-deworming,non-immune,and diarrhea pet cats have a higher detection rate of Clonorchis sinensis,and pet cats infected with Clonorchis sinensis are prone to symptoms of emaciation.Cryptosporidium spp.and Trichomonas foetus were not detected by microscopic examination.At the same time,the detection rate of Giardia was only 0.33%(3/898).Therefore,molecular biology methods were used to further detect three important intestinal protozoa in subsequent studies.(2)Based on the SSU r RNA gene,nested PCR amplification was performed on Cryptosporidium spp.,and the total infection rate was 0.78%(7/898).All positive Cryptosporidium spp.samples were identified as zoonotic species C.parvum;Based on the gp60 locus,C.parvum positive samples were identified as IId A19G1 subtype by nest PCR amplification;Nested PCR amplification of Giardia duodenalis based on β-giardin(bg)locus showed that the total infection rate was 2.00%(18/898).Four Giardia duodenalis aggregates were identified as aggregates C(10/18),A1(4/18),D(3/18)and F(1/18),respectively.Aggregates C,A1,D and F had the risk of infecting humans.The infection rates of Cryptosporidium spp.and Giardia duodenalis in pet cats in Henan Province were not correlated with regional distribution,age,sex,diarrhea,immunization and deworming,but the infected pet cats were generally emaciated.Based on the 18 S r RNA gene,PCR amplification was performed on the Trichomonas foetus,and the total infection rate was6.01%(54/898),Young,non-deworming,non-immune,and diarrheal pet cats in Henan Province should focus on prevention and control of Trichomonas foetus infection.In summary,the overall infection rate of intestinal parasites in pet cats in 11prefecture-level cities in Henan Province is low;the infection rates of Cryptosporidium spp.,Giardia duodenalis and Trichomonas foetus were not high,but the species or genotypes that may be at risk of zoonotic transmission were identified,revealing the possibility of pet cat intestinal parasites spreading between companion animals and humans.In this study,Cryptosporidium spp.IId A19G1 subtype was detected in pet cats for the first time,enriching its host type and geographical distribution information in China.This study provides a scientific basis for the development of effective prevention and control measures for intestinal parasites in pet cats in Henan Province.