Abstract
BackgroundMicrosporidia are common opportunistic parasites in humans and animals, including rabbits. However, only limited epidemiology data concern about the prevalence and molecular characterization of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. in rabbits. This study is the first detection and genotyping of Microsporidia in pet rabbits in China.ResultsA total of 584 faecal specimens were collected from rabbits in pet shops from four cities in Sichuan province, China. The overall prevalence of microsporidia infection was 24.8% by nested PCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of E. bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. respectively. E. bieneusi was the most common species (n = 90, 15.4%), followed by Encephalitozoon cuniculi (n = 34, 5.8%) and Encephalitozoon intestinalis (n = 16, 2.7%). Mixed infections (E. bieneusi and E. cuniculi) were detected in five another rabbits (0.9%). Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of microsporidia were observed among different cities (χ2 = 38.376, df = 3, P < 0.01) and the rabbits older than 1 year were more likely to harbour microsporidia infections (χ2 = 9.018, df = 2, P < 0.05). Eleven distinct genotypes of E. bieneusi were obtained, including five known (SC02, I, N, J, CHY1) and six novel genotypes (SCR01, SCR02, SCR04 to SCR07). SC02 was the most prevalent genotype in all tested cities (43.3%, 39/90). Phylogenetic analysis showed that these genotypes were clustered into group 1–3 and group 10. Meanwhile, two genotypes (I and II) were identified by sequence analysis of the ITS region of E. cuniculi.ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of microsporidia infection in pet rabbits in China. Genotype SC02 and four novel genotypes were classified into potential zoonotic group 1, suggesting that pet rabbits may cause microsporidiosis in humans through zoonotic transmissions. These findings provide preliminary reference data for monitoring microsporidia infections in pet rabbits and humans.
Highlights
Microsporidia are common opportunistic parasites in humans and animals, including rabbits
The discovery of microsporidia in water sources intended for human consumption has made it a Category B Priority Pathogen listed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and it has been listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a microbial pollutant potentially causing waterborne outbreaks [1, 7]
Single-species infection was detected in 90 rabbits (15.4%) for E. bieneusi. 34 (5.8%) and 16 (2.7%) E. cuniculi and E. intestinalis monoinfections were identified respectively (Table 1)
Summary
Microsporidia are common opportunistic parasites in humans and animals, including rabbits. (including E. cuniculi, E. hellem, and E. intestinalis) are the four most common microsporidia species that infect humans, domestic animals, and wildlife [4, 5]. More than 470 E. bieneusi genotypes have been identified in humans and animals based on sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), with more new genotypes continually being found [8]. Some of these genotypes are considered to be host-specific, while others have zoonotic potential (e.g., SC02, D, EbpC, J, I and Type IV) [9]. No intraspecific variation in the ITS sequence of E. intestinalis has been detected far
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