Natural infection of Blastocystis ST6 among commercial quails (Coturnix coturnix) in Penang, Malaysia
https://doi.org/10.47665/tb.39.1.012
- Author:
Rauff-Adedotun, A.A.
1
;
Douglas, S.J.
2
;
Rajamanikam, A.
3
;
Amira Suriaty, Y.
1
;
Farah Haziqah, M.T.
1
Author Information
1. School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM Penang, Malaysia
2. School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Newcastle, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG
3. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Tropical Biomedicine
2022;39(No.1):73-77
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Blastocystis sp. is a unicellular, anaerobic intestinal protist regularly reported in humans
and various animals worldwide. There seems to be little research on Blastocystis infection in
poultry in Malaysia, and none on Blastocystis in quail specifically. In Malaysia, the
consumption of quail meat and eggs is rapidly gaining popularity as a significant source of
protein. It is, therefore, essential to explore the presence of Blastocystis in Malaysian quails
in order to aid in the understanding of Blastocystis in this group of birds and their role in its
transmission. Intestinal contents were collected from 90 commercial quails raised on two
farms in Penang, Malaysia, in a multi-layer cage system with adequate farm management.
Detection of Blastocystis sp. was by cultivation in modified Jones’ medium supplemented
with 10% horse serum. Giemsa-stained slides made from positive cultures were used for
morphological studies whereas Blastocystis subtyping was conducted by using Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR). A prevalence of 17.8% (16/90) was recorded for Blastocystis sp. in quail
in this study. The most common forms detected in the in vitro culture medium were vacuolar
and granular forms with cell diameters ranging from 9.09μm to 33.33μm. None of the quail
birds screened had any visible gastrointestinal symptoms or signs. All successfully sequenced
isolates were identified as Blastocystis sp. ST6, one of the potentially zoonotic subtypes of
Blastocystis. This study posits that the quail birds may serve as reservoirs of zoonotic subtypes
of Blastocystis. More studies are required to understand the source of Blastocystis infection to
poultry under intensive care and the role of poultry animals in the transmission of Blastocystis
to humans.
- Full text:8.2022my1315.pdf
