Prevalence and distribution of zoonotic Pentatrichomonas hominis and Blastocystis sp. in Crab-eating macaques in China.

Authors

Qinghong Guo, Yingchun Hao, Yang Sini Fu, Jiahao Chen, Xinchao Liu, Wenchao Li

Published in

Experimental parasitology. Volume 288. Pages 109183. Aug 10, 2026. Epub Aug 10, 2026.

Abstract

Pentatrichomonas hominis and Blastocystis sp. are enteric protists with the capacity to infect both non-human primates (NHPs), humans and other animal hosts, yet their epidemiology and coinfection patterns in NHPs remain poorly understood. Given the phylogenetic proximity of NHPs to humans, and the role of the Crab-eating macaque as a key animal model for human diseases, this species is considered a potential reservoir for zoonotic protists. Here, we investigate the occurrence and genetic profiles of P. hominis and Blastocystis sp. in NHPs from China. In this study, fresh fecal samples were collected from Crab-eating macaques in Beijing (n = 212) and Suzhou (n = 292). All samples were analyzed using species-specific PCR and SSU rRNA-based phylogenetic analysis. The resulting sequences were subjected to molecular analysis for species confirmation of P. hominis and subtype identification of Blastocystis sp. The overall prevalence of P. hominis was 55.16% (60.85% in Beijing, 51.03% in Suzhou), with juveniles showing significantly higher infection rates than adults at both sites (p < 0.0001). The overall prevalence of Blastocystis sp. was 50.6% (40.57% in Beijing, 57.88% in Suzhou), with adults exhibiting higher rates than juveniles. Two Blastocystis sp. genotypes were identified: ST1 (216 samples) and ST2 (39 samples). Coinfection of the two protists occurred at an overall rate of 18.65%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that our P. hominis isolates are closely related to reference sequences AY758392 and JX565035, while Blastocystis sp. isolates formed two major clades (ST1 and ST2), with ST1 being the dominant subtype. Together, these results detail the epidemiology of P. hominis and Blastocystis sp. in Crab-eating macaques in China, including prevalence, age-dependent infection patterns, ST1 dominance, and coinfection rate. These extend global knowledge of these protists, particularly regarding subtype distribution and host age associations.

PMID:
42574991
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Aug 2026.

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