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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Veterinary and Zoonotic Infection
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1522176

Gastrointestinal Protozoa in Pet Cats from Anhui Province: Prevalence and Molecular Characterization

Provisionally accepted
Hao Zhang Hao Zhang 1Xing Tong Xing Tong 1*Zhonghui Ma Zhonghui Ma 1*Tao Zhang Tao Zhang 1Feng Wu Feng Wu 2*Qiong Wu Qiong Wu 3*Congshan Yang Congshan Yang 1*Chunyang Han Chunyang Han 1*
  • 1 College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
  • 2 Chongxin’an Animal Hospital, Hefei, China
  • 3 Jiujiang District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service Center, Jiujiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: To investigate the prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus, Pentatrichomonas hominis, Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium, Microsporidium, and Sarcocystis in domestic cats in Anhui Province, China, and their potential role as zoonotic hosts for human infection, a total of 304 fecal samples from two different sources were screened for the presence of related pathogens . Methods: Using microscopy, along with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nested PCR amplification, followed by genotyping through sequence analysis.Results: The infection rates of T. foetus, P. hominis, G. intestinalis, Cryptosporidium, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Sarcocystis were 5.6%, 0%, 1.7%, 0.7%, 2.6%, and 0%, respectively. The evolutionary relationships and genetic characteristics of G. intestinalis based on the gdh gene, Cryptosporidium based on the SSU rRNA gene, and E. bieneusi based on the ITS sequence were assessed: five cases of G. intestinalis were identified, with four belonging to assemblage F and one to zoonotic assemblage B, two Cryptosporidium cases were identified as Cryptosporidium felis, and all eight E. bieneusi cases were identified as belonging to group 1, with three cases being genotype D, three EbpA, and two EbpC. Discussion: Age, neutering status, and deworming were identified as potential risk factors. Further analysis revealed that diarrhea, as a clinical symptom, could serve as an indicator for pathogen infection. Although the pathogen infection rates detected in this study were relatively low, their zoonotic transmission potential cannot be ignored.Therefore, special attention should be paid, and it is essential to establish targeted prevention plans.

    Keywords: gastrointestinal protozoa, Pet cats, Prevalence, Zoonotic, Public Health

    Received: 04 Nov 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Tong, Ma, Zhang, Wu, Wu, Yang and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xing Tong, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui Province, China
    Zhonghui Ma, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui Province, China
    Feng Wu, Chongxin’an Animal Hospital, Hefei, China
    Qiong Wu, Jiujiang District Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service Center, Jiujiang, China
    Congshan Yang, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui Province, China
    Chunyang Han, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, Anhui Province, China

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