Molecular identification of Entamoeba spp. in humans and cattle in Baghdad, Iraq

Vet World Vol.17 June-2024 Article - 20

Research Article

Veterinary World, 17(6): 1348-1355

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.1348-1355

Sahad M. K. Al-Dabbagh¹, Haider H. Alseady², and Enas J. Alhadad¹

1. Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Institute of Medical Technology Al-Mansour, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq.
2. Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Technical Institute of Babylon, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Babylon, Iraq.

Background and Aim: A total of 10% of the global population succumbs to amoebiasis yearly, equating to 50,000–100,000 recorded fatalities. It is closely associated with contaminated food and water supplies due to human feces. The disease’s pathophysiology remains a subject of ongoing debate among experts. Some experts attribute the role of the host’s conditions, parasite species and strain, and infection intensity in eliciting clinical symptoms. The aim of this study was to perform molecular identification of Entamoeba species isolated from humans and cattle.

Materials and Methods: Stool samples from three hundred patients and one hundred cattle were collected from different regions, age groups, and sexes in Baghdad for microscopic examination. One hundred randomly chosen patient and cattle stool samples underwent microscopic examination and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic tree analyses were performed for Entamoeba species identification.

Results: The infection rate in humans differed significantly (p < 0.05) between age groups and genders, totaling 38%. The infection rate in cattle, determined by conventional PCR, differed significantly (p < 0.05) between age groups and genders, amounting to 58%. Ten PCR products with positive results were sequenced and deposited in GenBank database. Sequence analysis detected that Eight sequences belong to E. histolytica ( OM268853.1, OM268854.1, OM268855.1, OM268857.1, OM268858.1, OM268860.1, OM268861.1, and OM268862.1) and two sequences belong to E. dispar (OM268856.1 and OM268859.1) in humans, while 10 sequences (ON724165.1 to ON724174.1) belongs to E. histolytica in cattle.

Conclusion: The increased susceptibility of cattle to E. histolytica suggests a considerable role in human infection and substantial public health risks. Further research should be conducted on the many virulence factors such as HM1:IMSS strain, cysteinprotease (Cp1), Gal/lectin, etc. of E. histolytica and E. dispar.

Keywords: cattle, Entamoeba spp., human, phylogenetic, sequence analyses.

How to cite this article: Al-Dabbagh SMK, Alseady HH, and Alhadad EJ (2024) Molecular identification of Entamoeba spp. in humans and cattle in Baghdad, Iraq, Veterinary World, 17(6): 1348–1355.

Received: 2024-01-20 Accepted: 2024-05-13 Published online: 2024-06-21

Corresponding author: Haider H. Alseady E-mail: haider.alseady.dw@atu.edu.iq

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.1348-1355

Copyright: Dabbagh, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.