Abstract
Blastocystis is a genus of parasitic protozoa that parasitize/colonize humans and animals gastrointestinal tract. The current study performed a molecular survey of Blastocystis in farm cattle (Bos tarurs), goats (Capra hircus), and pigs (Susscrofa domestica) raised in different cities in Zhejiang Province of China to better understand the epidemiology of Blastocystis in the animals of this region. A total of 859 fresh fecal samples were collected from 265 cattle, 386 goats, and 208 pigs. All these samples were screened for the detection of Blastocystis by amplifying the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene via PCR and Sanger sequencing. Of the 859 samples tested, 12.1 % (104) were positive for Blastocystis, with cattle showing a prevalence of 19.6 % (52/265), goats with 11.4 % (44/386), and pigs with 3.8 % (8/208). Eight different subtypes of Blastocystis were found: ST10 (n = 51), ST5 (n = 11), ST12 (n = 9), ST14 (n = 8), ST21 (n = 8), ST23 (n = 7), ST26 (n = 6), and ST4 (n = 4). Cattle carried seven (ST5, ST10, ST12, ST14, ST21, ST23, and ST26), whereas goats harbored eight (ST4, ST5, ST10, ST12, ST14, ST21, ST23, and ST26) subtypes. All pig-derived Blastocystis isolates belonged only to ST5. These results are significant as they indicate that cattle, goats, and pigs in Zhejiang Province, China, harbor various subtypes of Blastocystis, which enhances our understanding of the distribution of Blastocystis among these hosts in China.