Blastocystis occurrence and subtype diversity in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the Iberian Peninsula

The ongoing increase in wild boar populations across Europe has fostered human-wildlife conflicts, including the transmission of emerging pathogens with zoonotic importance. Blastocystis is a ubiquitous, faecal-oral transmitted protist that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses and is observed in humans and animals worldwide. The role of wildlife in the epidemiology of Blastocystis is insufficiently understood. Thus, we investigated the occurrence and subtype diversity of Blastocystis in free-ranging wild boars from the Iberian Peninsula using conventional PCR and next-generation amplicon sequencing of a fragment of the ssu RNA gene. A total of 459 wild boar faecal samples were collected across Spain (n = 360) and Portugal (n = 99) between 2014 and 2021. Blastocystis was present in 15.3% (70/459; 95% CI 12.1-18.9) of the wild boars analysed, and its occurrence was significantly higher in Portugal (34.3%, 34/99; 95% CI 25.1-44.6) than in Spain (10.0%, 36/360; 95% CI 7.1-13.6). Seven Blastocystis subtypes (ST5, ST10b, ST13-ST15, ST24b, and ST43) were detected among the surveyed wild boar populations, with greater variability detected in Portuguese samples. ST5 was identified in all the Blastocystis-positive animals, whereas 14.3% of them harboured ST mixed colonisations. Our results demonstrate that Blastocystis ST5 is particularly adapted to infect wild boars. The additional identification of zoonotic STs reinforces the role of wild boars as spreaders of zoonotic infections with public health significance.

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Publication Details

Journal
Veterinary Research
Published
2024-10-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-024-01385-9
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.61

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article

Blastocystis occurrence and subtype diversity in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the Iberian Peninsula

Guillermo A. Cardona, Rafael Calero‐Bernal, Atle Mysterud, Emmanuel Serrano et al.
7 citations
Veterinary Research
Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
3.61
article

Blastocystis occurrence and subtype diversity in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the Iberian Peninsula

Guillermo A. Cardona, Rafael Calero‐Bernal, Atle Mysterud, Emmanuel Serrano, Carlos Fonseca, David González‐Barrio, Antonio Rivero‐Juárez, David Carmena, Mónica Santı́n, Daniel Fernández de Luco, Jenny G. Maloney, M. Habela, Rita Tinoco Torres, Joaquín Vicente, Begoña Bailo, José A. Armenteros, María Cruz Arnal, Ana M. Figueiredo, Dário Hipólito, João P. F. Carvalho, Ana Balseiro, Joana Fernandes, Alejandro Dashti, Josman Dantas Palmeira, Pamela C. Köster
article en
7 citations

Abstract

The ongoing increase in wild boar populations across Europe has fostered human-wildlife conflicts, including the transmission of emerging pathogens with zoonotic importance. Blastocystis is a ubiquitous, faecal-oral transmitted protist that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses and is observed in humans and animals worldwide. The role of wildlife in the epidemiology of Blastocystis is insufficiently understood. Thus, we investigated the occurrence and subtype diversity of Blastocystis in free-ranging wild boars from the Iberian Peninsula using conventional PCR and next-generation amplicon sequencing of a fragment of the ssu RNA gene. A total of 459 wild boar faecal samples were collected across Spain (n = 360) and Portugal (n = 99) between 2014 and 2021. Blastocystis was present in 15.3% (70/459; 95% CI 12.1-18.9) of the wild boars analysed, and its occurrence was significantly higher in Portugal (34.3%, 34/99; 95% CI 25.1-44.6) than in Spain (10.0%, 36/360; 95% CI 7.1-13.6). Seven Blastocystis subtypes (ST5, ST10b, ST13-ST15, ST24b, and ST43) were detected among the surveyed wild boar populations, with greater variability detected in Portuguese samples. ST5 was identified in all the Blastocystis-positive animals, whereas 14.3% of them harboured ST mixed colonisations. Our results demonstrate that Blastocystis ST5 is particularly adapted to infect wild boars. The additional identification of zoonotic STs reinforces the role of wild boars as spreaders of zoonotic infections with public health significance.

Veterinary ResearchVol. 55(1)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), University of Copenhagen (DK), Agricultural Research Service (US), United States Department of Agriculture (US), University of Zagreb (HR), University of Oslo (NO), Universidad de Zaragoza (ES), Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (ES), Basque Government (ES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES), Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (ES), Centro Nacional de Microbiologia (ES), Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (ES), Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (ES), Croatian Veterinary Institute (HR), Forest Research (GB), Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (ES), University of Córdoba (ES), University of Aveiro (PT), Universidad de Extremadura (ES), Universidad de León (ES)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Agricultural Research Service, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
3.61
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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