Prevalence and new genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in wild rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) in China: A zoonotic concern

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a zoonotic pathogen with a wide range of animal host. There are only few reports of E. bieneusi infection in wild Chinese rhesus macaques. Here, we determined the prevalence of E. bieneusi in nine wild rhesus macaque populations and assessed their zoonotic potential by performed genotype of ITS gene. A total of 324 fecal samples of rhesus macaque were collected in nine geographical populations from five Chinese provinces (Sichuan, Chongqing, Qinghai, Tibet and Hainan). 38 samples (11.7%) were found to be infected with E. bieneusi, and 11 genotypes were identified including three known genotypes (D, EbpC and SCC-2) and eight novel genotypes named Mul6∼13. Genotype D (63.2%) was the most prevalent, being observed in seven populations except XZ-2 and QH, and other genotypes were identified only in a single area. According to the phylogenetic analysis, Mul6∼9, Mul11∼13 and zoonotic genotype D were clustered into Group 1, indicating that these genotypes may be potentially zoonotic. Among nine populations, population SC-3 had the highest infection rate (26.3%), and the lowest was the wild QH population without infection, but the difference of infection rate among the nine populations is not significant. It is concluded that, rhesus macaque populations are generally infected E. bieneusi in many areas of China, and there may be a risk of cross infection with E. bieneusi in some areas found having zoonotic genotypes, and these areas should be paid more attention to prevent.