Occurrence and Potentially Zoonotic Genotypes of Enterocytozoon Bieneusi in Wild Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta) Living in Nanwan Monkey Island, Hainan, China: A Public Health Concern

Abstract

Background Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a microsporidian species, is a zoonotic pathogen found in both humans and animals. Here, we determined the prevalence, explored the different genotypes of E. bieneusi in wild rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) (Hainan Island of China), and assessed their zoonotic potential. Methods We collected 173 fecal specimens from wild M. mulatta living in Nanwan Monkey Island, Hainan, China. Subsequently, we identified and genotyped E. bieneusi using nested PCR analysis amplification of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the rRNA gene. Lastly, a neighbor-joining tree was built based on gene sequences from the ITS region of E. bieneusi. Results Of the 173 specimens from wild M. mulatta, 26 (15%) were infected with E. bieneusi. We identified six genotypes of E. bieneusi, of which five were known: PigEBITS7 (n = 20), D (n = 2), Type IV (n = 1), Peru6 (n = 1), Henan-III (n = 1), and a novel genotype: HNM-IX (n = 1). From the phylogenetic analysis, the six genotypes identified here were all categorized into zoonotic group 1. Conclusion Based on the results taht the novel genotype falling under zoonotic group 1 and all the known genotypes found in humans, we conclude that the wild M. mulatta infected with E. bieneusi have a public health significance.