Abstract
Blastocystis is a zoonotic protozoan parasite frequently identified in the intestinal tract of humans and a vast variety of animals, worldwide. Here, we assessed the prevalence of Blastocystis and its subtypes in stool samples of raccoons. Stool samples from 30 raccoons were collected. Total DNA was extracted, and the barcoding region of the small subunit ribosomal rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene was amplified and sequenced. Specific fragment for Blastocystis was successfully amplified in five samples (16.66%). Sequencing analysis revealed ST1, ST2, and ST3 among 1, 2, and 2 Blastocystis-positive samples. Our results documented the presence of Blastocystis subtypes 1–3 in raccoons. Subtype 1 showed higher similarity to the human isolates of Blastocystis. However, it seems that raccoons may emerge as reservoirs for Blastocystis and may be linked to zoonotic transmission of the protist.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank all members of the Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center in the Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and the Microbiology department of Guilan university of Medical Sciences for their supports.
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Conceived and designed the experiments: HM. Performed the experiments: HMR SN. Analyzed the data: HM SN. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools/positive samples: MS MRZ. Wrote the paper: HM SN. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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The protocol of this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran (Ref. No. IR.GUMS.REC.1394.185).
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Mohammad Rahimi, H., Nemati, S., Mirjalali, H. et al. Molecular characterization and identification of Blastocystis and its subtypes from raccoon (Procyon lotor) in north of Iran. Parasitol Res 119, 2741–2745 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06770-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06770-9