First Genetic Characterization of Blastocystis sp. Isolated from Captive Wildlife Animals in a Zoological Garden in Perak, Malaysia.

Authors

Anamalai Sanggari, Achigili Okau Attah, Adedolapo Aminat Rauff-Adedotun, Affendi Muhamad Ridhwan, Azlinda Abu Bakar, Farah Haziqah Meor Termizi

Published in

Molecular and biochemical parasitology. Pages 111781. Sep 06, 2026. Epub Sep 06, 2026.

Abstract

Blastocystis, a common eukaryotic symbiont, has gained interest as a potential pathogen affecting animals and humans worldwide. However, there is limited data on Blastocystis prevalence in wildlife animals, especially in Malaysia. To fill this gap, our study aimed to discover the genetic diversity of Blastocystis in captive animals from Taiping Zoo in Perak, Malaysia. We cultured 182 faecal samples from various animal groups using modified Jones medium, incubated at 37°C for warm-blooded animals and 25°C for cold-blooded animals with an incubation period within 48 to 72hours. DNA barcoding was then performed for subtype identification of samples found positive by in-vitro cultivation. Our findings showed an overall Blastocystis sp. prevalence of 19.2% (35/182) with Rodents had the highest prevalence of (50.0% - 3/6) while Artiodactyla had the least (7.7% - 4/52) whereas no Blastocystis was detected in Perissodactyla and Proboscidea. Our study identified various Blastocystis subtypes in different animals including ST1 in wallabies, ST2 in Bornean orangutans, ST3 in African lions, ST4 in ostriches, ST5 in chimpanzees, ST7 in African grey birds, green peafowl, red-billed tree ducks, whooper swans, and small-clawed otters, and ST8 in green peafowls whereas ST37 was found in African spurred tortoise. ST7 was the dominant subtype, while ST1-5, ST8 and ST37 were less common. There were seven Blastocystis subtypes identified as potentially zoonotic (ST1-ST5, ST7 & ST8), highlighting the possible role of captive wild animals as natural reservoirs for human infection.

PMID:
42702222
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Sep 2026.

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