The global molecular epidemiology of microsporidia infection in sheep and goats with focus on Enterocytozoon bieneusi: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Microsporidia is a zoonotic pathogen with health consequences in immunocompromised patients. Small ruminants are a potential reservoir of microsporidia for humans in their vicinity. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the molecular prevalence of microsporidian infections with emphasis on Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes among sheep and goats at a global scale through systematic review and meta-analysis approach. Methods The standard protocol of preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Eligible prevalence studies on small ruminant microsporidiosis, published from 1 January 2000 until 15 April 2021 were gathered using systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The point estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a random-effects model. The variance between studies (heterogeneity) was quantified by I2 index. Results In total, 25 articles (including 34 datasets) were included for final meta-analysis. The pooled molecular prevalence of microsporidia in sheep and goats was estimated to be 17.4% (95% CI: 11.8–25%) and 16% (95% CI: 11.2–22.4%), respectively. Likewise, the overall prevalence of E. bieneusi was estimated to be 17.4% (95% CI: 11.8–25%) for sheep and 16.3% (95% CI: 11.3–22.8%) for goats. According to internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene analysis, E. bieneusi with genotypes BEB6 (15 studies) and COS-1 (nine studies) in sheep, and CHG3 (six studies) and BEB6 (five studies) in goats were the highest reported genotypes. Conclusion The present results highlight the role of sheep and goats as reservoir hosts for human-infecting microsporidia. Therefore, this global estimate could be beneficial on preventive and control measures.

Molecular epidemiology of Enterocytozoon bieneusi from Foxes and Raccoon dogs in the Henan and Hebei Provinces

“…Among them, genotypes BEB4 and BEB6 belong to the ITS group 2 which have not been reported to be found in foxes and raccoon dogs. Previous studies identi ed genotype BEB4 in cattle, yaks, pigs, humans, and non-human primates [4], while genotype BEB6 was identi ed in cattle, sheep, goats, and humans [32,33]. Thus, we hypothesized that genotypes BEB4 and BEB6 identi ed in foxes and raccoon dogs in the present study may be trans-infected from cattle, because all the genotypes BEB4 and BEB6 were from the same farm which is close to a cattle farm.…”

Occurrence and Genotypic Identification of Blastocystis spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Giardia duodenalis in Leizhou Black Goats in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China

“…The BEB6 genotype was initially considered to be specific to cattle, but is now recognized as a dominant genotype with a wide geographic distribution, a broad host range, and zoonotic potential [45]. This discrepancy may be related to the fact that our study focused primarily on goats, and previous studies have suggested that CHG3 is the dominant genotype in goats, whereas the BEB6 genotype tends to be dominant in sheep [14,39,45].…”

“…Many studies have identified and genotyped E. bieneusi in black goats throughout the world [34][35][36][37]. The infection rate of E. bieneusi in goats ranges from 0 to 100% worldwide, and the overall prevalence in goats is estimated to be 16.3% [14]. However, genotypes and prevalence rates probably also differ by region.…”

“…Groups 1 and 2 contain the majority of zoonotic genotypes, whereas groups 3-13 contain host-adapted genotypes [11][12][13]. Enterocytozoon bieneusi has an estimated overall prevalence of 17.4% in sheep and 16.3% in goats worldwide [14]. Analyses of the ITS sequences have shown that the genotypes BEB6 and COS-1 are most common in sheep, whereas CHG3 and BEB6 are the predominant genotypes in goats [14,15].…”

Establishment of aTaqManprobe‐basedqPCRassay for detecting microsporidiaEnterospora epinepheliin grouper

“…Microsporidia are a group of highly specialized intracellular parasites infesting a wide range of hosts (Barandun et al., 2019; Franchet et al., 2019). More than 1700 species of microsporidia have been described around the world (Taghipour et al., 2023). Nearly half of the known genera infect aquatic organisms, including fish, shrimp, crab, zooplankton and benthic animals (Liu et al., 2019; Stentiford et al., 2013; Stentiford & Dunn, 2014).…”