Prevalence and Subtype Distribution of Blastocystis in Tibetan Sheep in Qinghai Province, Northwestern China.

Blastocystis is one of the most common intestinal protists in humans and a great number of animals, including sheep and goats. High prevalence and multiple subtypes of Blastocystis have been reported in sheep in several regions of China and elsewhere. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about Blastocystis in Tibetan sheep. A total of 761 fecal samples were collected from Tibetan sheep in seven counties of Qinghai Province, northwestern China, and were examined for the prevalence and subtypes of Blastocystis using molecular technology based on the partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene of Blastocystis. The overall prevalence of Blastocystis in the investigated Tibetan sheep was 7.5% (57/761) using PCR and DNA Sanger sequencing, and differences in prevalence were observed among the ruminants from the seven counties (P < 0.01), and across four seasons (P < 0.01). Sequence analysis revealed five subtypes (ST14 (57.9%), ST10 (26.3%), ST12 (5.3%), ST21 (5.3%), and ST30 (5.3%)) of Blastocystis sp. in these Tibetan sheep, with ST14 as the predominant subtype. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Blastocystis colonization in Tibetan sheep.

Seasonal distribution of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Tibetan sheep in Qinghai, China.

BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi can cause important intestinal diseases in ruminants. However, data on the distribution of these three protozoan pathogens in Tibetan sheep are limited. METHODS: We collected 761 fecal samples from Tibetan sheep across four seasons in Qinghai Province, China, and screened the samples for Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi using PCR-based sequence analysis of the genes encoding 18S ribosomal RNA, triosephosphate isomerase and the internal transcribed spacer, respectively. RESULTS: The positivity rates of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi in Tibetan sheep were 3.68% (28/761 samples), 1.58% (12/761) and 6.44% (49/761), respectively. Four species of Cryptosporidium were identified: C. xiaoi (n = 13 samples), C. ubiquitum (n = 8), C. bovis (n = 6) and C. ryanae (n = 1). Two G. duodenalis assemblages, namely the A (n = 2 samples) and E (n = 10) assemblages, were detected. Five zoonotic E. bieneusi genotypes were found: BEB6 (n = 21 samples), COS-I (n = 14), CHS3 (n = 11) and CGS1 (n = 2) from group 2, and PIGEBITS5 (n = 1) from group 1. Geographic differences in the distribution of E. bieneusi, and seasonal differences for all the three protozoan pathogens were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Our results elucidate the prevalence and genetic diversity of these three pathogens in Tibetan sheep across different regions and seasons, including zoonotic pathogens such as C. ubiquitum, C. ryanae, G. duodenalis assemblage A and five genotypes of E. bieneusi.

Mode-locked all-fiber dumbbell-shaped laser based on a nonlinear amplifying optical loop mirror.

We report a hybrid passively mode-locked dumbbell-shaped fiber laser based on a nonlinear optical loop mirror and a nonlinear amplifying optical fiber-loop mirror. The laser produced noise-like pulses with repetition rate of 8.85 MHz and pulse energy of 16.2 and 26.4 nJ from the two output ports, respectively. Several interesting phenomena are observed and briefly discussed in the paper.

1016nm all fiber picosecond MOPA laser with 50W output.

This paper presents an all fiber high power picosecond laser at 1016 nm in master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration. A direct amplification of this seed source encounters obvious gain competition with amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at ~1030 nm, leading to a seriously reduced amplification efficiency. To suppress the ASE and improve the amplification efficiency, we experimentally investigate the influence of the gain fiber length and the residual ASE on the perforemance of the 1016 nm amplifier. The optimized 1016 nm MOPA laser exhibits an average power of 50 W and an optical conversion efficiency of 53%.