Table_1_Prevalence and Population Genetics Analysis of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Dairy Cattle in China.xls

Enterocytozoon bieneusi, an obligate intracellular pathogen, can infect various hosts. In this study, 3527 dairy cattle fecal specimens were collected from different geographic locations in China (including 673 from Shandong province, 1,440 from Guangdong province and 1,414 from Gansu province) and examined for the presence of E. bieneusi using polymerase chain reactions targeting the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The dominant genotypes identified were further subtyped by multilocus sequence typing. The overall prevalence of E. bieneusi was 14.2% (501/3527), with a significant difference in prevalence among the different geographical locations (P < 0.001). Our logistic regression analysis showed that all four variables (farming model, location, age, and clinical manifestations) had strong effects on the risk of contracting E. bieneusi. Sequence analysis revealed 11 genotypes: eight known genotypes (J, I, BEB4, BEB10, D, EbpC, CM19, and CM21) and three novel genotypes (named here as CGC1, CGC2, and CGC3). Genotypes J and I, the commonest, were found on all farms across the three provinces. Our linkage disequilibrium analysis showed a clonal population structure in the E. bieneusi dairy cattle population but the ITS genotypes had different population structures. Phylogenetic and haplotype network analysis showed the absence of geographical segregation in the E. bieneusi dairy cattle populations. Instead, they revealed the presence of host adaptation to the E. bieneusi populations in various animals. Our findings augment the current understanding of E. bieneusi transmission dynamics.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi，一种严格的细胞内寄生物，可感染多种宿主。在本研究中，从中国不同地理区域（包括山东省673份、广东省1,440份和甘肃省1,414份）收集了3,527份奶牛粪便标本，并采用针对核糖体内部转录间隔区（ITS）的聚合酶链反应检测E. bieneusi的存在。所识别的优势基因型进一步通过多位点序列分型进行亚型化。E. bieneusi的总感染率为14.2%（501/3,527），不同地理区域的感染率存在显著差异（P < 0.001）。我们的逻辑回归分析显示，所有四个变量（养殖模式、地理位置、年龄和临床症状）对感染E. bieneusi的风险具有显著影响。序列分析揭示了11个基因型：八个已知基因型（J、I、BEB4、BEB10、D、EbpC、CM19和CM21）以及三个新型基因型（在此命名为CGC1、CGC2和CGC3）。最普遍的基因型J和I在三个省份的所有农场中都存在。我们的连锁不平衡分析显示，E. bieneusi奶牛群体中存在克隆种群结构，但ITS基因型具有不同的种群结构。系统发育和单倍型网络分析表明，E. bieneusi奶牛群体中不存在地理隔离，反而揭示了各种动物对E. bieneusi种群存在宿主适应性。我们的研究丰富了关于E. bieneusi传播动力学当前的认识。