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. 2016 Oct;9(10):1047-1050.
doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.1047-1050. Epub 2016 Oct 6.

Zoonotic intestinal protozoan of the wild boars, Sus scrofa, in Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr province), Southwestern Iran

Kambiz Yaghoobi  1 , Bahador Sarkari  2 , Majid Mansouri  1 , Mohammad Hossein Motazedian  1
Affiliations

Zoonotic intestinal protozoan of the wild boars, Sus scrofa, in Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr province), Southwestern Iran

Kambiz Yaghoobi et al. Vet World. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: Wild boars, Sus scrofa, are potential reservoirs of many zoonotic diseases, and there are a possibility of transmission of the zoonotic diseases from these animals to humans and also domestic animals. This study aimed to evaluate the protozoan contamination of wild boars in the Persian Gulf's coastal area (Bushehr Province), southwestern Iran.

Materials and methods: A total of 25 crossbred boars were collected during a course of vertebrate pest control in Bushehr province, in 2013. Samples were collected from the gastrointestinal tracts of each boar in 5% formalin, Bouin's solution, sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin, and polyvinyl alcohol fixatives. Fixed stool smears examined by trichrome and Ziehl-Neelsen staining.

Results: Each of the 25 wild boars was infected with at least one of the intestinal protozoans. The rate of contamination with intestinal protozoan was 64% for Balantidium coli, 76% for Iodamoeba sp., 52% for Entamoeba polecki, 44% for Blastocystis sp. and 8% for Chilomastix sp. No intestinal coccidian was detected in studied boars when the stool samples were evaluated by Ziehl-Neelsen staining method.

Conclusion: Findings of this study demonstrated that wild boars in the Persian Gulf coastal area are contaminated by many protozoans, including zoonotic protozoan, which poses a potential risk to locals as well as the domestic animals of the area.

Keywords: Iran; Persian Gulf; protozoan; wild boars; zoonosis.

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Figures

Figure-1
Figure-1
Map of Iran and study area.
Figure-2
Figure-2
Trichrome staining of intestinal protozoan detected in the stool of wild boars. (a) Balantidium coli trophozoite (100×), (b) Iodamoeba sp. cyst (100×), (c) Entamoeba polecki cyst (100×), (d) Blastocystis sp. cyst (100×), (e) Chilomastix sp. cyst (100×), (f) Balantidium coli cyst (40×).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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