Molecular Characterization of Blastocystis from Animals and Their Caregivers at the Gdansk Zoo (Poland) and the Assessment of Zoonotic Transmission.

ABSTRACT: Blastocystis is a highly genetically diverse gut protist commonly found in humans and various animals. The role of animals in human infection is only partly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the host specificity and possibility of zoonotic transmission of this microorganism. Subtypes of Blastocystis isolated from 201 zoo animals and their 35 caregivers were identified by sequencing of the SSU rRNA gene. Blastocystis was found in 26.86% of animal and 17.14% of human samples. Both mammalian (ST1-ST3, ST5, ST8, ST10, ST13, ST14) and non-mammalian subtypes were detected. Of the subtypes found in non-human primates (ST1, ST2, ST3, and ST13), two subtypes (ST1 and ST3) were also detected in humans. The presence of identical ST1 sequences in three monkeys and their caregiver indi

SUBMITTER: Rudzinska M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8533498 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature