Molecular prevalence of Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Trichomonas gallinae in three domestic free-range poultry breeds in Anhui Province, China.

Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Trichomonas gallinae can colonize the alimentary tract of domestic birds. However, little information is available on the epidemiology of the two trichomonad species in domestic free-range poultry in China. In this study, the occurrence and genetic characteristic of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae among free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in Anhui Province, China, were investigated. The 1910 fecal samples collected from 18 free-range poultry farms throughout Anhui Province were examined for the presence of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae by PCR and sequence analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene of T. gallinarum and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequence of T. gallinae. The overall occurrence of T. gallinarum in poultry was 1.2% (22/1910), with infection rates of 2.1% (17/829) in chickens, 0.2% (1/487) in ducks, and 0.7% (4/594) in geese. The constructed phylogeny tree using the concatenated ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and SSU rRNA indicated the T. gallinarum isolates detected in this study were closely related to previously defined genogroups A, D, and E, respectively. Nine (0.5%) fecal samples were positive for T. gallinae, with infection rates of 0.8% (7/829) in chickens, 0.4% (2/487) in ducks, and 0% (0/594) in geese. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed that four T. gallinae ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences obtained from chicken feces and one duck fecal sample belonged to genotype ITS-OBT-Tg-1. This is the first report of the prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae in free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in China.

The First Report of Tritrichomonas Foetus and Tetratrichomonas Buttreyi in Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes Procyonoides) in China.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the trichomonosis in raccoon dogs in China had occurred frequently. Pentatrichomonas hominis had been described in raccoon dogs in China in some previous studies. PURPOSE TO REVEAL: whether raccoon dogs can be infected by other trichomonad species besides P. hominis, and clarify the prevalence and species distribution of trichomonad in raccoon dogs. METHODS: Herein, the 389 fecal samples were collected from farm-raised raccoon dogs in Hebei Province, all the samples were detected using the microscopic examination and several fecal samples containing trichomonad-like organisms were processed, cultured, stained, and photographed. Meanwhile, all the samples were screened by the species-specific nested PCR based on the small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene of P. hominis,Tritrichomonas foetus and Tetratrichomonas buttreyi, respectively, and all positive secondary PCR amplications obtained in this study were sequenced, aligned and analysed. RESULTS: 62 fecal samples (15.9%,62/389) were trichomonad-positive under light microscopy, and the trichomonad-like cells were clearly observed in the culture contents. The PCR results showed that 100 samples were trichomonad-positive, including 45 P. hominis-positive samples (11.6%,45/389), 32 T. foetus-positive samples (8.2%,32/389), and 33 T. buttreyi-positive samples (8.5%,33/389), respectively. Double mixed infections were observed in 10 samples. The prevalence of T. foetus and P. hominis were both significantly higher in raccoon dogs with diarrhea (13.9%, and 25.0%) than that in raccoon dogs without diarrhea (7.6%, and 9.3%) (p < 0.05).All samples confirmed as trichomonad-positive under microscopy were also found to be trichomonad-positive by PCR analysis. The sequencing and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the sequences obtained in this study belonged to P. hominis, T. foetus and T. buttreyi SSU rRNA, respectively. Among them, the T. buttreyi SSU rRNA sequences obtained in this study harbored the new sequence polymorphisms. Based on preliminary morphological and molecular analyses, raccoon dogs are considered as the new host of T. foetus and T. buttreyi. CONCLUSION: This is the first report about the identifcation and prevalence of T. foetus and T. buttreyi in raccoon dogs in China, and the results increase our knowledge about the host range and prevalence of trichomonad species.

First Detection and Molecular Identification of Entamoeba bovis in Farm-Raised Sika Deer from Anhui Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Protozoans of Entamoeba spp. are one of the most common enteric parasites that infect humans and diverse animals including deer. PURPOSE: However, data regarding the prevalence and species/genotypes of Entamoeba spp. in deer in China is scarce. This study investigated the prevalence and species distribution of Entamoeba spp. in sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Anhui Province. METHODS: In our survey, 336 fecal samples were collected from five sika deer farms in different regions of Anhui Province. All samples were examined for the presence of Entamoeba spp. by PCR and phylogenetic analysis of the conserved 18S rRNA gene. RESULTS: 106/336 (31.5%) fecal samples were positive for Entamoeba spp. A statistically significant difference in the prevalence of Entamoeba spp. infection was observed between sampling farms (p < 0.001), and the prevalence of Entamoeba spp. in male and female sika deer showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). Sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed the single species, E. bovis, was identified in this study. CONCLUSION: This is the first report about the identification of E. bovis in farm-raised sika deer in China, and these results expand our understanding of host range and species distribution of Entamoeba spp. in ruminants.