Prevalence and genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in sika deer in Jilin province, Northeastern China.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is one of the most important zoonotic pathogen that can infect almost all animals, including humans. However, little information is available regarding prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in sika deer. In the present study, the prevalence of E. bieneusi infection in sika deer in Jilin province, Northeastern China was examined using PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. 23 (7.06%) of 326 samples were tested E. bieneusi-positive, and the risk factor significantly associated with E. bieneusi prevalence was the age of sika deer. Sequence analysis of the ITS rRNA gene suggested that 8 genotypes of E. bieneusi were found in this study, with five known genotypes, namely J (n = 11), BEB6 (n = 4), EbpC (n = 1), CHN-DC1 (n = 1), KIN-1 (n = 1) and three novel genotypes, namely JLD-1 (n = 2), JLD-2 (n = 2) and JLD-3 (n = 1). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that genotypes CHN-DC-1, KIN-1, EbpC, JLD-2 and JLD-3 fell into group 1, while other three genotypes (genotypes J, BEB6 and JLD-1) were clustered into group 2 (so-called bovine-specific groups). These findings indicated the presence of zoonotic E. bieneusi in Jilin province, Northeastern China. Effective strategies should be performed to control E. bieneusi infection in sika deer, other animals and humans.