A preliminary molecular analysis of zoonotic Blastocystis subtype ST5 in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Hatay, Türkiye

Wild boars (Sus scrofa), an important component of wildlife and increasingly present in rural and urban areas, play a complex role in transmission of pathogens between wildlife, livestock, and humans, with uncertainty about the direc- tionality of transmission. This preliminary study aimed to demonstrate the occurrence of zoonotic Blastocystis in wild boars for the first time in Türkiye. The real-time PCR (RT-PCR)-based positivity rate of Blastocystis was determined as 29.2% (7/24). Two wild boar isolates that could be successfully sequenced, as a result of barcoding PCR, showed 100% similarity to Blastocystis zoonotic subtype 5 (ST5) and allele 115 was detected. The findings of this first study highlight the importance of monitoring Blastocystis for zoonotic transmission dynamics in wildlife and the need for future studies including larger numbers of wild boar samples from different geographical regions of Türkiye.