ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1641632
This article is part of the Research TopicZoonotic Diseases: Epidemiology, Multi-omics, and Host-pathogen Interactions Vol IIView all 4 articles
Distribution of human-pathogenic Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in crab-eating macaques in China
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, China
- 2Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu, China
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Introduction: The positive rates and genetic identity of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis (G. duodenalis), and Enterocytozoon bieneusi (E. bieneusi) were unclear in crab-eating macaques in Suzhou and Beijing, China. Methods: A total of 504 fecal samples were collected from crab-eating macaques on commercial farms in Beijing and Suzhou, China. The extracted DNA was analyzed for Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi by nested PCR and sequence analysis of the small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene, respectively. The G. duodenalis was detected by nested PCR targeting β-giardin (bg) gene, glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) gene, and triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) gene. The C. hominis identified were further subtyped by nested PCR and sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene. Results: All 504 fecal samples collected from crab-eating macaques, the detection rates of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi were 11.9% (60/504), 5.6% (28/504), and 4.6% (23/504), respectively. The 15.1% (44/292) detection rate of Cryptosporidium spp. from crab-eating macaques in Suzhou was significantly higher than that in Beijing (2.8%; 6/212; χ2 = 20.6, df = 1, P < 0.0001). The detection rates of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis were significant different between <2 months old animals and >24 months old animals (χ2 = 104.7, df = 1, P < 0.0001; χ2 = 6.6, df = 1, P = 0.0104). A total of one Cryptosporidium species, one G. duodenalis assemblage B, and 4 E. bieneusi genotypes have been identified, including C. hominis (n = 60), assemblage B (n = 28), CM1 (n = 14), Peru8 (n = 5), D (n = 3), and Type IV (n = 1). Among 60 C. hominis samples, five subtypes of five subtype families were successfully identified at the gp60 gene: IbA13G4 (n = 27), InA26 (n = 3), IfA17G2R3 (n = 3), IiA17 (n = 3), and IeA11G3T3 (n = 2). Discussion: The results indicate that known zoonotic Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and E. bieneusi are prevalent in crab-eating macaques. The crab-eating macaques could play a potential role in the zoonotic transmission of pathogens to humans.
Keywords: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Crab-eating macaque, zoonosis, China
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Chen, He, Li and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Wenchao Li, Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu, China
Falei Li, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang, China
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