Molecular Epidemiology of Blastocystis spp. Isolates in Bandar Abbas, South of Iran

Rajaei, Zahra; Farahani, Abbas; Turki, Habibollah; Shoja, Saeed; Ghanbarnejad, Amin; Kamali, Hamed; Shamseddin, Jebreil

doi:10.30699/ijmm.17.4.441

year 17, Issue 4 (July - August 2023) Iran J Med Microbiol 2023, 17(4): 441-446 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.30699/ijmm.17.4.441

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Rajaei Z, Farahani A, Turki H, Shoja S, Ghanbarnejad A, Kamali H et al . Molecular Epidemiology of Blastocystis spp. Isolates in Bandar Abbas, South of Iran. Iran J Med Microbiol 2023; 17 (4) :441-446
URL: http://ijmm.ir/article-1-2067-en.html

Molecular Epidemiology of Blastocystis spp. Isolates in Bandar Abbas, South of Iran

Zahra Rajaei¹

, Abbas Farahani²

, Habibollah Turki¹

, Saeed Shoja³

, Amin Ghanbarnejad⁴

, Hamed Kamali¹

, Jebreil Shamseddin

⁵

1- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2- Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran
3- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
4- Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
5- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran , Shams.jebreil@gmail.com

Abstract: (551 Views)

Background and Aim: Blastocystis spp. is an anaerobic, single-celled intestinal parasite with global prevalence that is found in the lower digestive tract of humans and many animals, such as numerous types of vertebrates. To date, 17 genotypes have been identified. Nine of these genotypes are common in humans. Organism is found in both healthy and compromised individuals, hence its pathogenicity is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of Blastocystis spp. genotypes in Bandar Abbas, Iran during 2022.
Materials and Methods: Totally, 378 stool samples were collected from hospitals and health centers of Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan province, Iran. Stool samples examined by direct and formalin ethyl acetate (concentration) methods. Positive samples for Blastocystis spp. isolated and DNA extraction was done. All extracted DNA specimens analyzed by nanoDrop to ensure about quantity and quality. The PCR technique was used to identify parasite genotypes and all samples were sequenced for genotype confirmation.
Results: Finally 14 samples detected as positive microscopically and 8 samples confirmed by PCR. Identified isolated genotypes were 4 samples ST1 (50%), 3 ST3 (37.5%), and one ST2 (12.5%). All negative and positive samples analyzed 3 times to confirm accuracy.
Conclusion: Blastocystis sp. is the most common protozoan parasite of the human intestine, which despite the studies, there are many uncertainties about its pathogenicity. The current study was designed and carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and lower positive patients may be related to severe hygiene considerations and consumption of various antibiotics amongst the population.

Keywords: Blastocystis sp., genotype, Molecular epidemiology, Phylogenetic analysis, Subtyping

Full-Text [PDF 1675 kb] (145 Downloads) | | Full-Text (HTML) (52 Views)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Medical Parasitology
Received: 2023/04/24 | Accepted: 2023/08/1 | ePublished: 2023/09/27

References

1. Chen CH, Sun HY, Chien HF, Lai HS, Chou NK. Blastocystis hominis infection in a post-cardiotomy patient on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: A case report and literature review. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2014;5(9):637-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.ijscr.2014.07.010] [PMID] [PMCID]

2. Tan KS. New insights on classification, identification, and clinical relevance of Blastocystis spp. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2008;21(4):639-65. [DOI:10.1128/CMR.00022-08] [PMID] [PMCID]

3. Javaherizadeh H, Khademvatan S, Soltani S, Torabizadeh M, Yousefi E. Distribution of haematological indices among subjects with Blastocystis hominis infection compared to controls. Prz Gastroenterol. 2014;9(1):38-42. [DOI:10.5114/pg.2014.40849] [PMID] [PMCID]

4. Zhang X, Qiao JY, Zhou XJ, Yao FR, Wei ZC. Morphology and reproductive mode of Blastocystis hominis in diarrhea and in vitro. Parasitol Res. 2007;101(1):43-51. [DOI:10.1007/s00436-006-0439-x] [PMID]

5. Hoevers J, Snowden K. Analysis of the ITS region and partial ssu and lsu rRNA genes of Blastocystis and Proteromonas lacertae. Parasitol. 2005;131(2):187-96. [DOI:10.1017/S0031182005007596] [PMID]

6. Windsor J, Macfarlane L, Hughes-Thapa G, Jones S, Whiteside T. Incidence of Blastocystis hominis in faecal samples submitted for routine microbiological analysis. Br J Biomed Sci. 2002;59(3):154-7. [DOI:10.1080/09674845.2002.11783653] [PMID]

7. Stensvold CR, Suresh GK, Tan KS, Thompson RA, Traub RJ, Viscogliosi E, et al. Terminology for Blastocystis subtypes-a consensus. Trends Parasitol. 2007;23(3):93-6. [DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2007.01.004] [PMID]

8. Srichaipon N, Nuchprayoon S, Charuchaibovorn S, Sukkapan P, Sanprasert V. A Simple Genotyping Method for Rapid Differentiation of Blastocystis Subtypes and Subtype Distribution of Blastocystis spp. in Thailand. Pathogens. 2019;8(1). [DOI:10.3390/pathogens8010038] [PMID] [PMCID]

9. Motazedian H, Ghasemi H, Sadjjadi S. Genomic diversity of Blastocystis hominis from patients in southern Iran. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2008;102(1):85-8. [DOI:10.1179/136485908X252197] [PMID]

10. Pandey PK, Verma P, Marathe N, Shetty S, Bavdekar A, Patole MS, et al. Prevalence and subtype analysis of Blastocystis in healthy Indian individuals. Infect Genet Evol. 2015;31:296-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.meegid.2015.02.012] [PMID]

11. Sylla K, Sow D, Lelo S, Dieng T, Tine RC, Faye B. Blastocystis sp. Infection: Prevalence and Clinical Aspects among Patients Attending to the Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology of Fann University Hospital, Dakar, Senegal. Parasitologia. 2022;2(4):292-301. [DOI:10.3390/parasitologia2040024]

12. Zanetti AdS, Malheiros AF, De Matos TA, Longhi FG, Moreira LM, Silva SL, et al. Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. infection in several hosts in Brazil: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Parasit Vectors. 2020;13(1):1-15. [DOI:10.1186/s13071-020-3900-2] [PMID] [PMCID]

13. Wong KH, Ng G, Lin RT, Yoshikawa H, Taylor MB, Tan KS. Predominance of subtype 3 among Blastocystis isolates from a major hospital in Singapore. Parasitol Res. 2008;102(4):663-70. [DOI:10.1007/s00436-007-0808-0] [PMID]

14. Li LH, Zhang XP, Lv S, Zhang L, Yoshikawa H, Wu Z, et al. Cross-sectional surveys and subtype classification of human Blastocystis isolates from four epidemiological settings in China. Parasitol Res. 2007;102(1):83-90. [DOI:10.1007/s00436-007-0727-0] [PMID]

15. Haghighi L, Talebnia SE, Mikaeili F, Asgari Q, Gholizadeh F, Zomorodian K. Prevalence and subtype identification of Blastocystis isolated from human in Shiraz city, southern Iran. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health. 2020;8(3):840-4. [DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2020.02.010]

16. Badparva E, Ezatpour B, Mahmoudvand H, Behzadifar M, Behzadifar M, Kheirandish F. Prevalence and genotype analysis of Blastocystis hominis in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Clin Infect Dis. 2017;12:1-9. [DOI:10.5812/archcid.36648]

17. Badparva E, Sadraee J, Kheirandish F. Genetic diversity of blastocystis isolated from cattle in khorramabad, iran. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2015;8(3):e14810. [DOI:10.5812/jjm.14810] [PMID] [PMCID]

18. Maloney JG, Molokin A, Santin M. Next generation amplicon sequencing improves detection of Blastocystis mixed subtype infections. Infect Genet Evol. 2019;73:119-25. [DOI:10.1016/j.meegid.2019.04.013] [PMID]

19. Tamura K, Peterson D, Peterson N, Stecher G, Nei M, Kumar S. MEGA5: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis using maximum likelihood, evolutionary distance, and maximum parsimony methods. Mol Biol Evol. 2011;28(10):2731-9. [DOI:10.1093/molbev/msr121] [PMID] [PMCID]

20. Saitou N, Nei M. The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Mol Biol Evol. 1987;4(4):406-25.

21. Sekar U, Shanthi M. Recent insights into the genetic diversity, epidemiology and clinical relevance of Blastocystis species. JMR. 2015;1(1):33-9. [DOI:10.31254/jmr.2015.1110]

22. Maleki B, Sadraei J, Dalimi Asl A, Pirestani M. High occurrence of Blastocystis sp. subtype 3 in individuals referred to medical laboratories in Kermanshah, Iran. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench. 2022;15(2):164-71.

23. Salehi M, Mardaneh J, Niazkar HR, Minooeianhaghighi M, Arshad E, Soleimani F, et al. Prevalence and Subtype Analysis of Blastocystis hominis Isolated from Patients in the Northeast of Iran. J Parasitol Res. 2021;2021:8821885. [DOI:10.1155/2021/8821885] [PMID] [PMCID]

24. Shaker D, Anvari D, Hosseini SA, Fakhar M, Mardani A, Ziaei Hezarjaribi H, et al. Frequency and genetic diversity of Blastocystis subtypes among patients attending to health centers in Mazandaran, northern Iran. J Parasit Dis. 2019;43(4):537-43. [DOI:10.1007/s12639-019-01123-5] [PMID] [PMCID]

25. Khademvatan S, Masjedizadeh R, Rahim F, Mahbodfar H, Salehi R, Yousefi-Razin E, et al. Blastocystis and irritable bowel syndrome: Frequency and subtypes from Iranian patients. Parasitol Int. 2017;66(2):142-5. [DOI:10.1016/j.parint.2017.01.005] [PMID]

26. Arbat SK, Hooshyar H, Arbabi M, Delavari M, Rasti S, Mousavi G. Subtypes identification and frequency of Blastocystis isolated from patients in Kashan, Central Iran. Int Arch Health Sci. 2021;8(1):56.

27. Khademvatan S, Masjedizadeh R, Yousefi-Razin E, Mahbodfar H, Rahim F, Yousefi E, et al. PCR-based molecular characterization of Blastocystis hominis subtypes in southwest of Iran. J Infect Public Health. 2018;11(1):43-7. [DOI:10.1016/j.jiph.2017.03.009] [PMID]

28. Potes-Morales C, Osorio-Delgado LA, Carranza JC, Vallejo GA. The first molecular detection of Blastocystis subtypes in human faecal samples from Ibague, Colombia. Parasite Epidemiol Control. 2020;9:e00132. [DOI:10.1016/j.parepi.2020.e00132] [PMID] [PMCID]

29. Sari IP, Benung MR, Wahdini S, Kurniawan A. Diagnosis and identification of blastocystis subtypes in primary school children in Jakarta. J Trop Pediatr. 2018;64(3):208-14. [DOI:10.1093/tropej/fmx051] [PMID]

30. Piranshahi AR, Tavalla M, Khademvatan S. Genomic analysis of Blastocystis hominis isolates in patients with HIV-positive using locus SSU-rDNA. J Parasit Dis. 2018;42:28-33. [DOI:10.1007/s12639-017-0957-8] [PMID] [PMCID]

31. Süli T, Kozoderović G, Potkonjak A, Vidanović D, Tešović B, Vračar V, et al. Subtyping Blastocystis in pigs and humans revealed unusual avian‐specific subtype ST6 in humans in Serbia. Zoonoses Public Health. 2021;68(5):544-8. [DOI:10.1111/zph.12829] [PMID]