18S/28S rDNA metabarcoding identifies Cryptosporidium parvum and Blastocystis ST1 as the predominant intestinal protozoa in hospital patients from Changchun, Northeast China.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Intestinal protozoa and helminths remain an under‑recognized cause of gastrointestinal morbidity in China. Molecular high‑throughput tools offer the chance to survey their diversity comprehensively, yet their application in clinical settings has been limited.

Methods

We pooled leftover fecal samples from 360 hospital patients in Changchun (36 pools; 12 demographic/seasonal groups) and enriched them by sucrose flotation. Three primer pairs targeting 18S V4‑V5, 18S V9 and 28S D3‑D4 rRNA regions were amplified, and paired‑end libraries (100-140 k reads per amplicon) were sequenced on Illumina platforms. Taxa were assigned with QIIME2 against SILVA, and true prevalences were estimated from pooled‑sample data using a binomial model with profile‑likelihood confidential

SUBMITTER: Wang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462306 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature