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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1558095
Blastocystis subtypes in wild Macaca thibetana: a study of prevalence, genetic diversity, and geographic differentiation
Provisionally accepted- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya an, Sichuan Province, China
Introduction: Macaca thibetana is an endemic non-human primate (NHP) in China. This study, for the first time in China, used molecular methods to ascertain the prevalence and subtypes (STs) of Blastocystis in wild M. thibetana and explore the role of geography and host species in the genetic differentiation of Blastocystis.Methods: A total of 264 fecal samples from three wild populations in Sichuan Province (Mount Emei, Erlang, and Gongga) were collected. The small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene of Blastocystis was amplified to identify the seasonal prevalence and STs. Genetic analyses were performed using reference sequences from 15 countries and 17 host species.Results: Blastocystis was detected in 35.2% (93/264) of the samples, the Emei population had the highest prevalence (56.3%), followed by Gongga (28.6%) and Erlang (21.5%). The populations had the highest prevalence in different seasons (Emei: 83.3% in summer, Erlang: 69.2% in autumn, Gongga: 87.5% in winter), indicating no consistent seasonal pattern of prevalence across the populations. A total of 44 haplotypes were obtained, further identified as three zoonotic STs (ST1-ST3) and ST39, with high genetic diversity in the wild M. thibetana (Hd: 0.883 to 0.937; π: 0.0024 to 0.0066). Phylogenetic analysis showed that Blastocystis sequences did not cluster according to host species or countries, however, sequences from Macaca spp. in China clustered into two geographic groups: western and southern regions. Furthermore, the Mantel test revealed a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances for ST3 (r = 0.64, P < 0.001).Discussion: Present results suggest that the season may not significantly influence Blastocystis prevalence, and there is a risk of zoonotic transmission in the studied area. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses showed no genetic differentiation of Blastocystis related to host species, nor any clear geographical patterns at large scales (between countries or continents). However, genetic analysis of multiple wild Macaca spp. populations in China suggested a potential pattern of geographic differentiation related to altitude.
Keywords: Blastocystis, Macaca thibetana, genetic diversity, subtype, Prevalence
Received: 09 Jan 2025; Accepted: 26 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yao, Yu, Su, Gao, Huang, Wang and Xu. 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:
Huailiang Xu, College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya an, 625014, Sichuan Province, China
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