Genotyping and zoonotic potential of <i>Enterocytozoon bieneusi</i> in cattle farmed in Hainan Province, the southernmost region of China
Xinli Zheng, Huanhuan Zhou, Gangxu Ren, Tianming Ma, Zongxi Cao, Limin Wei, Quanwei Liu, Feng Wang, Yan Zhang, Hailong Liu, Man-Ping Xing, Lili Huang, Zhe Chao, Gang Lü
Abstract
Enterocytozoon bieneusi is an intestinal pathogen that infects a wide range of species, including humans. Cattle constitute an important host for E. bieneusi; however, there is a scarcity of information on the prevalence and genotyping of E. bieneusi in cattle in the Hainan Province of China. In this study, PCR analysis of 314 fecal samples from cattle in six cities of Hainan was performed for genotype identification. The average prevalence of E. bieneusi in these animals was 9.9% (31/314), and ranged from 0.0% (0/12) to 20.5% (8/39). Five known genotypes - EbpC (n = 14), BEB4 (n = 12), J (n = 2), I (n = 1), and CHG5 (n = 1) - and a novel genotype: HNC-I (n = 1) - were identified. Genotypes EbpC and HNC-I were placed in zoonotic Group 1, and the remaining four genotypes (BEB4, J, I, and CHG5) were placed in Group 2. Since 93.5% of the genotypes found in the cattle (29/31) (EbpC, BEB4, J, and I) have previously been found in humans, these genotypes are probably involved in the transmission of microsporidiosis to humans.