Caracterização molecular de Blastocystis spp. e Enterocytozoon bieneusi em animais de produção de propriedades rurais da microrregião de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Blastocystis spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are obligate intracellular parasites of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and a wide variety of animals. They are present in developed and developing countries and have zoonotic potential. The aim of this research was to determine the positivity and to perform molecular characterization of respectively Blastocystis spp. and E. bieneusi subtypes and genotypes in fecal samples from production animals from rural properties of microregion of Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. Feces form 50 chickens, 35 pigs, 11 horses and 57 cattle were collected from 14 rural properties. The DNA was extracted directly from feces and submitted to PCR and nested-PCR analysis for amplification of fragments of the SSU rDNA of Blastocystis spp. and of the ITS gene of E. bieneusi. Out of 153 samples collected, 93 (60,8%) were positive for Blastocystis spp. and 25 (16,3%) for E. bieneusi. Blastocystis spp. was identified in all properties and E. bieneusi in nine. Next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on positive samples for Blastocystis spp. with identification of 13 subtypes previously identified (ST1, ST3 to 7, ST10, ST14, ST21, ST23 to 26) plus a new subtype; six are known to be zoonotic (ST1, ST3 to 7). Chickens were infected by ST1, ST3 to 7, ST10, ST14, ST21, ST23, ST25 and 26; pigs by ST1, ST3 to 5; the horse by ST10, ST21, ST23, ST25 to 26 and cattle by ST1, ST4 and 5, ST10, ST14, ST21, ST23 to 26 and a novel ST. Sequencing of E. bieneusi identified eight previously reported genotypes (D, EbpA, H, PigEb1, CS-1, Peru11, BEB8 and I), all potentially zoonotic. Genotypes D, EbpA and H were identified in chickens and pigs; PigEb and CS-1 in pigs; Peru11 in chickens and BEB8 and I in cattle. Concomitant parasite infections were observed in 23 samples, three from chickens (13%), 16 from pigs (69,6%) and four from cattle (17,4%). The identification of subtypes and genotypes considered zoonotic, present in the animals of this study, suggests the possibility of transmission between animals and humans.