Molecular detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in captive alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) in Gansu Province, China

Abstract The most ubiquitously diagnosed microsporidian in animals and humans is Enterocytozoon bieneusi (E. bieneusi). This work aimed to probe the prevalence and genotypes of this pathogen in captive alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) in Gansu Province, China. Subsequent to fecal sample collection (n = 201) from three farms in Gansu, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) region of the rRNA gene was probed by PCR for detection and genotyping of E. bieneusi. The infection rate of E. bieneusi in alpine musk deer was 6.0% (12/201), with 0% (0/36), 7.7% (5/65) and 7.0% (7/100) in farms 1 to 3, respectively. The infection rate of E. bieneusi in young alpine musk deer (3.2%; 1/31) lower than that in adults (6.5%; 11/170), with no evident significant differences between age groups (P > 0.05). Three known genotypes D (n = 8), EbpA (n = 3) and BEB6 (n = 1) were identified by sequence analysis. This is the first such scrutiny of E. bieneusi infection in alpine musk deer in China as per our knowledge. Genotypes D and EbpA were common in humans and animals that is suggestive of the plausible zoonotic role in E. bieneusi transmission by alpine musk deer.