Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32698882›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2020

First molecular subtyping and phylogeny of Blastocystis sp. isolated from domestic and synanthropic animals (dogs, cats and brown rats) in southern Iran.

Iraj Mohammadpour, Farzaneh Bozorg-Ghalati, Alessia Libera Gazzonis, Maria Teresa Manfredi, Mohammad Hossein Motazedian, Niloofar Mohammadpour

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
36citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
7.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

36 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  10. First report ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2025
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  13. Predominance of theOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024
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  14. Subtype Distribution ofMicroorganisms · 2024
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  15. Prevalence and subtypes ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Iraj MohammadpourDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. mohamad_i@sums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-7317
Farzaneh Bozorg-GhalatiDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Alessia Libera GazzonisDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. alessia.gazzonis@unimi.it.
Maria Teresa ManfrediDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Mohammad Hossein MotazedianDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Niloofar MohammadpourDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Zeinab Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences · IRUniversity of Milan · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBlastocystis sp. is a common intestinal protist that infects humans and many animals globally. Thus far, 22 subtypes (STs) have been identified in mammalian and avian hosts. Since various STs are common to humans and animals, it was suggested that some human infections might arise from zoonotic transmission. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the presence of Blastocystis sp. in domestic (dogs and cats) and synanthropic animals (rats) of Fars Province, Iran, and to genetically characterize the samples.

methodsA total of 400 fresh faecal samples from 154 dogs, 119 cats, and 127 rats were inspected by direct microscopy, Wheatley's trichrome staining, in vitro culture, and 18S rRNA gene nested-PCR. Finally, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed.

resultsOut of 400 samples, 47 (11.8%) and 61 (15.3%) samples were detected as positive by direct wet mount and culture, respectively. Molecular analysis detected a larger number of positive samples (n = 70, 17.5%): nested-PCR showed that 29 (18.8%) dogs, 21 (17.7%) cats, and 20 (15.8%) rats were infected by Blastocystis sp. Sequence analysis of positive samples indicated the presence of zoonotic STs in all investigated host species. Specifically, ST2 (allele 9), ST3 (allele 34), ST4 (allele 94), ST7 (allele 99), ST8 (allele 21), and ST10 (allele 152) were detected in dogs; ST1 (allele 2), ST3 (allele 34), ST4 (allele 94), ST10 (allele 152), and ST14 (allele 159) were detected in cats; and ST1 (allele 2), ST3 (allele 34), and ST4 (allele 92) were detected in rats.

conclusionsOur data suggest that domestic dogs and cats can serve as possible reservoirs for in-contact humans, especially those who handle shelter-resident and client-owned animals. Moreover, rats as synanthropic animals can function as a potential source of human infections. Conversely, humans can act as a source of infections to animals. These results should be reinforced in future molecular epidemiological studies.

Indexed as

BlastocystisPhylogenyAnimalsBlastocystis InfectionsCat DiseasesCatsDisease ReservoirsDNA, ProtozoanDog DiseasesDogsFecesGenetic VariationHost SpecificityHumansIranMolecular EpidemiologyDNA, ProtozoanRNA, Ribosomal, 18SBlastocystisCanis lupus familiarisFelis catus domesticusIranPhylogenetic analysisRattus norvegicusSubtyping

Identifiers

PMID32698882
PMCPMC7374852
OpenAlexW3043916784

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.