Occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Blastocystis genotypes in Rousettus leschenaultii collected from an urban public park of Hainan Province, China

ABSTRACT

Objective: To obtain information about the occurrence of Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and Enterocytozoon (E.) bieneusi in fruit bats (Rousettus leschenaultii) collected from an urban public park Hainan Province, China and to analyze the genetic characteristics of the obtained parasites carried by those bats. Methods: On 4th June 2019, ten piles of fresh faecal sample of fruit bats were collected from the Wanlvyuan Gardens in central Haikou, Hainan of China. Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and E. bieneusi were examined by sequencing analysis of the small subunit rRNA gene or internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene. Results: Among the 10 DNA specimens analyzed, seven (70.0%) were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. and two (20.0%) were positive for E. bieneusi but none of them were positive for Blastocystis. For Cryptosporidium, two novel genotypes were identified which shared 98.2% and 94.4% homology with Cryptosporidium (C.) andersoni Type C, respectively, and were named as C. andersoni Type D (in 6 specimens) and E (in one specimens). The two E. bieneusi-positive isolates were identified as a known zoonotic genotype (PigEbITS7) and a novel genotype (named HNB-I) respectively. Conclusions: The finding of C. andersoni and E. bieneusi genotype PigEbITS7 in fruit bats in Hainan, China suggests that these parasites carried by fruit bats can be transmitted to other animals and humans to cause zoonotic infections.