Occurrence and genetic diversity of Enterocytozoon bieneusi (Microsporidia) in owned and sheltered dogs and cats in Northern Spain

Authors: DASHTI, ALEJANDRO - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; Santin-Duran, Monica; CANO, LOURDES - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; DE LUCIO, AIDA - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; BAILO, BEGOÑA - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; HERNANDEZ DE MINGO, MARTA - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; KOSTER, PAMELA - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; FERNANDEZ-BASTERRA, JOSE - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; ARAMBURU-AGUIRRE - Complutense University Of Madrid (UCM); LOPEZ-MOLINA, NURIA - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; FERNANDEZ-CRESPO, JUAN - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; CALERO-BERNAL, RAFAEL - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii; CARMENA, DAVID - Instituto De Salud Carlos Iii

Submitted to: Parasitology Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2019
Publication Date: 8/21/2019
Citation: Dashti, A., Santin, M., Cano, L., De Lucio, A., Bailo, B., Hernandez De Mingo, M., Koster, P.C., Fernandez-Basterra, J.A., Aramburu-Aguirre, Lopez-Molina, N., Fernandez-Crespo, J.C., Calero-Bernal, R., Carmena, D. 2019. Occurrence and genetic diversity of Enterocytozoon bieneusi (Microsporidia) in owned and sheltered dogs and cats in Northern Spain. Parasitology Research. 118(10):2979-2987. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06428-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06428-1

Interpretive Summary: Microsporidia are obligate intracellular protist-like fungi parasites that infect numerous hosts, ranging from protist to mammals. Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most frequently diagnosed species of Microsporidia in humans worldwide. It has been frequently reported in multiple animal hosts, including wild and domestic, raising concerns of zoonotic transmission. However, there is still little information available on the presence and diversity of E. bieneusi genotypes in companion animals. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the occurrence and genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in domestic dogs and cats. A total of 336 genomic DNA samples extracted from canine (n = 237) and feline (n = 99) faecal specimens, collected between 2014 and 2016 from Northern Spain, were retrospectively investigated for the presence of E. bieneusi. Faecal samples belonged to owned and sheltered dogs and cats living in rural and urban settings. The presence of E. bieneusi was assessed using molecular methods. E. bieneusi was detected in 3.0% (3/99) and 0.8% (2/237) of the cats and dogs examined, respectively. All three feline positive samples were from stray cats living in an urban setting, whereas the two canine samples were from owned dogs living in rural areas. Sequence analysis of the ITS region revealed the presence of two genotypes in dogs, BEB6 and PtEb IX, and two genotypes in cats, D and Peru11. Our findings expand current knowledge on host and geographical distribution of E. bieneusi genotypes. The identification of Peru11 in a cat and BEB6 in a dog constitutes the first report of those genotypes in those hosts as well as first report in Spain. This is also the first report in Spain of genotype D in cats and genotype PtEb IX in dogs. Three out of the four genotypes, BEB6, D and Peru11, have been previously reported as human pathogens indicating that dogs and cats need to be considered as a potential source of human infection and environmental contamination. This information should be useful to other scientists, veterinarians and public health agencies.

Technical Abstract: Microsporidia are obligate intracellular protist-like fungi parasites that infect numerous hosts, ranging from protist to mammals. Approximately 1,500 microsporidia species have been described among which Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most common cause of human microsporidiosis. It is currently considered as an emerging opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients but it is also commonly found in travellers, children, and the elderly. E. bieneusi has been frequently reported in multiple animal hosts, including wild and domestic, raising concerns of zoonotic transmission. However, there is still little information available on the presence and diversity of E. bieneusi genotypes in companion animals. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the occurrence and genetic diversity of E. bieneusi in domestic dogs and cats from Northern Spain. A total of 336 genomic DNA samples extracted from canine (n = 237) and feline (n = 99) faecal specimens, collected between 2014 and 2016, were retrospectively investigated for the presence of E. bieneusi. Faecal samples belonged to owned and sheltered dogs and cats living in rural and urban settings. The presence of E. bieneusi was assessed using a nested PCR protocol to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rRNA gene. E. bieneusi was detected in 3.0% (3/99) and 0.8% (2/237) of the cats and dogs examined, respectively. All three feline positive samples were from stray cats living in an urban setting, whereas the two canine samples were from owned dogs living in rural areas. Sequence analysis of the ITSregion revealed the presence of two genotypes in dogs, BEB6 and PtEb IX, and two genotypes in cats, D and Peru11. Our findings expand current knowledge on host and geographical distribution of E. bieneusi genotypes. The identification of Peru11 in a cat and BEB6 in a dog constitutes the first report of those genotypes in those hosts as well as first report in Spain. Genotype D has been previously reported in cats in China, but this is the first report in cats in Spain. PtEb IX has been reported in multiple studies in dogs but this will be the first report of this genotype in Spain. Three out of the four genotypes, BEB6, D and Peru11, have been previously reported as human pathogens and are potentially zoonotic indicating that dogs and cats need to be considered as a potential source of human infection and environmental contamination.