Molecular detection and genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in farmed mink (Neovison vison), blue foxes (Alopex lagopus), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Xinjiang, China

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a zoonotic pathogen that infects a variety of hosts including humans, livestock, wildlife, companion animals, and birds, as well as being abundant in the environment. Humans and nonhuman animals could be infected with E. bieneusi via consumption of food or water that contains zoonotic and host-adapted genotypes. In this study, 288 fecal specimens were collected from farmed minks, blue foxes, and raccoon dogs, in Xinjiang, China. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was examined by PCR amplification based on sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The overall infection rate of E. bieneusi was 4.9% (14/288), with mink samples showing the highest infection rate (5.6%, 12/214), followed by blue foxes (2.9%, 1/35), and then raccoon dogs (2.6%, 1/39). Six E. bieneusi genotypes were identified, including D (n = 5), PigEBITS7 (n = 4), EbpA (n = 2), CAM5 (n = 1), WildBoar3 (n = 1), and a novel genotype XJMI-1 (n = 1). Phylogenetic analysis showed that all E. bieneusi genotypes belonged to group 1, which composed of over 300 genotypes and most of them have been identified in human and variety of animals, suggesting a risk of zoonotic transmission from farmed wildlife to humans.