Non-Infection to Blastocystis in Cats of Lorestan Province, Iran ‎ ‎

Blastocystis spp. is a globally distributed zoonotic protozoan parasite with various subspecies found in the gastrointestinal tract in many types of vertebrates such as carnivorous and herbivorous mammals? This study aimed to evaluate the Blastocystis spp. parasite among the cats in Lorestan province. In this study, 120 stool samples of a cat were collected in the sterile plastic disposable cans and transferred to the laboratory and directly investigated. The DNA of the samples was extracted and Specific Primer-PCR was performed. To control and ensure the results of PCR, a mixed sample containing a Blastocystis-positive stool sample with cat samples was used, the DNA of which was extracted and examined similar to the study on cat samples. The results of this study showed that the studied cats were not infected with Blastocystis spp. parasite. Also, the PCR result of the mixed sample was positive. The prevalence of the parasite in various hosts and geographic areas is different. The results showed that cats of Lorestan province did not infect Blastocystis spp., similar to some other countries, so they are not considered as a source or host for humans and other animals. Since the infection is reported in other animals in the region, further studies on the physiology and nutrition of cats are suggested.

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