145383 20260217205530.0 doi 10.1186/s13567-024-01385-9 sideral 140265 ART-2024-140265 eng Köster, Pamela C. Blastocystis occurrence and subtype diversity in European wild boar (Sus scrofa) from the Iberian Peninsula 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted The ongoing increase in wild boar populations across Europe has fostered human–wildlife conflicts, including the transmission of emerging pathogens with zoonotic importance. Blastocystis is a ubiquitous, faecal-oral transmitted protist that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses and is observed in humans and animals worldwide. The role of wildlife in the epidemiology of Blastocystis is insufficiently understood. Thus, we investigated the occurrence and subtype diversity of Blastocystis in free-ranging wild boars from the Iberian Peninsula using conventional PCR and next-generation amplicon sequencing of a fragment of the ssu RNA gene. A total of 459 wild boar faecal samples were collected across Spain (n = 360) and Portugal (n = 99) between 2014 and 2021. Blastocystis was present in 15.3% (70/459; 95% CI 12.1–18.9) of the wild boars analysed, and its occurrence was significantly higher in Portugal (34.3%, 34/99; 95% CI 25.1–44.6) than in Spain (10.0%, 36/360; 95% CI 7.1–13.6). Seven Blastocystis subtypes (ST5, ST10b, ST13–ST15, ST24b, and ST43) were detected among the surveyed wild boar populations, with greater variability detected in Portuguese samples. ST5 was identified in all the Blastocystis-positive animals, whereas 14.3% of them harboured ST mixed colonisations. Our results demonstrate that Blastocystis ST5 is particularly adapted to infect wild boars. The additional identification of zoonotic STs reinforces the role of wild boars as spreaders of zoonotic infections with public health significance. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/CD19-00011 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/CP18-00111 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/FI20-00002 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/FIS/PI19-00029 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 3.5 2024 VETERINARY SCIENCES 10 / 170 = 0.059 2024 Q1 T1 0.914 2024 Veterinary (miscellaneous) 2024 Q1 6.2 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Figueiredo, Ana M. Maloney, Jenny G. Dashti, Alejandro Bailo, Begoña Torres, Rita T. Fonseca, Carlos Mysterud, Atle Habela, Miguel Á. Rivero-Juarez, Antonio Vicente, Joaquín Serrano, Emmanuel Arnal, Maria C. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-6770-3400 de Luco, Daniel Fernández Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-3289-4267 Armenteros, José A. Balseiro, Ana Cardona, Guillermo A. Carvalho, João Hipólito, Dário Fernandes, Joana Palmeira, Josman D. Calero-Bernal, Rafael González-Barrio, David Santin, Monica Carmena, David 1009 773 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Patología Animal Área Sanidad Animal 55, 1 (2024), 133 [12 pp.] Vet. res. Veterinary Research 0928-4249 1333376 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/145383/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2188259 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/145383/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:145383 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:32:17 ARTICLE