Abstract
Enterocytozoon bieneusi, an obligate intracellular pathogen, can infect a wide variety of hosts. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of E. bieneusi in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in China. A total of 185 alpaca fecal samples were collected from five herds in Tacheng, Wensu, Hejing, Qinghe, and Nilka counties in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was detected by nested PCR of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Twenty-eight fecal samples (15.1%, 28/185) were positive for E. bieneusi, with the highest prevalence in alpacas from Qinghe (42.9%, 15/35). Four E. bieneusi genotypes were identified, which included two known (P and ALP3) and two novel (ALP7 and ALP8) genotypes. Genotype ALP3 was the dominant genotype (57.1%, 16/28), followed by genotypes P (32.1%, 9/28), ALP7 (7.1%, 2/28), and ALP8 (2.6%, 1/28). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that three genotypes (P, ALP7, and ALP3) clustered into group 1, whereas genotype ALP8 clustered into group 8. This is the first report of E. bieneusi infection and genetic diversity in alpacas from Xinjiang, China.
Highlights
Enterocytozoon bieneusi, an unicellular fungi, has a broad host range and has even been detected in environmental water samples [2, 12, 13]
The infection rate of E. bieneusi (15.1%) in alpacas in this study was similar to that reported in dairy calves (16.5%), and lower than that reported in grazing horses (30.9%), and Bactrian camels (30.0%) in Xinjiang [9–11]
Genotypes ALP3 and P were the predominant genotype; these results indicate that animalderived E. bieneusi in Xinjiang may have host adaptation
Summary
Enterocytozoon bieneusi, an unicellular fungi, has a broad host range (humans, livestock, companion animals and wildlife) and has even been detected in environmental water samples [2, 12, 13]. On the basis of sequence analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, at least 340 E. bieneusi ITS genotypes have been reported in humans and animals [8, 14, 18]. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these ITS genotype sequences were clustered into at least 10 large groups (groups 1–9 and a so-called outlier in dogs). Group 1 contains most of the genotypes found in humans, while the remaining groups mostly include host-adapted genotypes found in specific animals, such as ruminants, nonhuman primates, and dogs [12–14, 16, 18]. Alpacas (Vicugna pacos), which originated in South America, were imported into China from Australia in 2002. Alpacas in China are mainly raised for meat and wool, and for the sightseeing industry.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
