Intestinal parasite infections in a rural community of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): Prevalence and genetic diversity of <i>Blastocystis</i> subtypes

<div><p>Background</p><p>Intestinal parasitic infections are considered a serious public health problem and widely distributed worldwide, mainly in urban and rural environments of tropical and subtropical countries. Globally, soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa are the most common intestinal parasites. <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. is a highly prevalent suspected pathogenic protozoan, and considered an unusual protist due to its significant genetic diversity and host plasticity.</p><p>Methodology/main findings</p><p>A total of 294 stool samples were collected from inhabitants of three rural valleys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stool samples were evaluated by parasitological methods, fecal culture, nested PCR and PCR/Sequencing. Overall prevalence by parasitological analyses was 64.3% (189 out of 294 cases). <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. (55.8%) was the most prevalent, followed by <i>Endolimax nana</i> (18.7%), <i>Entamoeba histolytica</i> complex (7.1%), hookworm infection (7.1%), <i>Entomoeba coli</i> (5.8%), <i>Giardia intestinalis</i> (4.1%), <i>Iodamoeba butchilii</i> (1.0%), <i>Trichuris trichiura</i> (1.0%), <i>Pentatrichomonas hominis</i> (0.7%), <i>Enterobius vermicularis</i> (0.7%), <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> (0.7%) and <i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> (0.7%). Prevalence of IPIs was significantly different by gender. Phylogenetic analysis of <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. and BLAST search revealed five different subtypes: ST3 (34.0%), ST1 (27.0%), ST2 (27.0%), ST4 (3.5%), ST8 (7.0%) and a non-identified subtype.</p><p>Conclusions/significance</p><p>Our findings demonstrate that intestinal parasite infection rates in rural areas of the Sumidouro municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are still high and remain a challenge to public health. Moreover, our data reveals significant genetic heterogeneity of <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. subtypes and a possible novel subtype, whose confirmation will require additional data. Our study contributes to the understanding of potential routes of transmission, epidemiology, and genetic diversity of <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. in rural areas both at a regional and global scale.</p></div

Distribution of intestinal parasites according to age groups and gender.

<p>Distribution of intestinal parasites according to age groups and gender.</p

Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) trees based on the partial sequences of the partial SSU rDNA (437 bp) of <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. isolates of the present study.

<p>The high genetic divergence of rDNA gene revealed six clusters (denoted by ST1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and Novel-ST). The numbers along branches correspond to bootstrap values and Bayesian posterior probability values (values above 50% are shown) in the order: MP/BI.</p