AUTHOR=Gao Zhen-Qiu , Wang Hai-Tao , Hou Qing-Yu , Qin Ya , Yang Xing , Zhao Quan , Ma He 

TITLE=Prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis in wild rodents from three provinces in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1432741

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1432741

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p><italic>Blastocystis</italic> is one of the most critical intestinal protozoans in various hosts, including humans and mice. To determine the status of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> infection in wild rodents in China.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A total of 344 faecal samples were collected from seven wild rodent species from three provinces, and the small subunit ribosomal RNA (<italic>SSU</italic> rRNA) genes of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> were amplified to determine their prevalence and subtypes.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Of the 344 samples, 54 (15.70%) were detected as <italic>Blastocystis-</italic>positive. The prevalence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> was 26.14% (40/153), 7.95% (7/88), and 6.80% (7/103) in wild rodents from Hunan Province, Yunnan Province, and Guangxi Province, respectively. The prevalence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> in different wild rodent species varied from 0.00% (0/13) in <italic>Mus musculus</italic> to 40.00% (2/5) in <italic>Rattus rattus sladeni</italic>. The prevalence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> in samples from the lake beach area (27.40%, 40/146) was significantly higher than in those from the mountain (6.80%, 7/103) and field regions (7.37%, 7/95). The prevalence in different seasons was 26.14% in summer (40/153), 7.95% in autumn (7/88), and 6.80% in winter (7/103). Moreover, a total of two <italic>Blastocystis</italic> subtypes were identified in the investigated wild rodents, including ST4 and ST5.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>The present study discovered the existence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> infection in <italic>Rattus favipectus</italic>, <italic>Microtus fortis</italic>, <italic>Apodemus agrarius</italic>, <italic>Bandicota indica</italic>, <italic>Rattus rattus sladeni</italic>, and <italic>Rattus losea</italic>, expanding the host range of this parasite. The findings also demonstrate that wild rodents may be an important potential infection source for <italic>Blastocystis</italic> infection in humans and other animals.</p></sec>