Metabarcoding of pathogenic parasites based on copro-DNA analysis of wild animals in South Korea

Abstract

Four species of dominant wild animals, namely, Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, Hydropotes inermis argyropus, and Sus scrofa coreanus, are hosts of potential infectious agents, including helminths and protozoa. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the infectious agents present in these wild animals to monitor and control the spread of pathogens. In the present study, fecal samples from 51 wild animals were collected from the mountains of Yangpyeong, Hoengseong, and Cheongyang in South Korea and metabarcoding of the V9 region of the 18S rRNA gene was performed to identify various parasite species that infect these wild animals. Genes from nematodes, such as Metastrongylus sp., Strongyloides spp., Ancylostoma sp., and Toxocara sp., were detected in the fecal samples from wild animals. In addition, platyhelminthes, including Spirometra sp., Echinostomatidae gen. sp., Alaria sp., Neodiplostomum sp., and Clonorchis sp., and protozoa, including Entamoeba sp., Blastocystis sp., Isospora sp., Tritrichomonas sp., Pentatrichomonas sp., and Cryptosporidium sp., were detected. In the present study, various parasites infecting wild animals were successfully identified using metabarcoding. Our technique may play a crucial role in monitoring parasites within wild animals, especially those causing zoonoses.

Keywords: 18S rRNA gene; Molecular identification; Parasitic infection; South Korea; Wild animals.

Graphical abstract

Fig. 1

Research area and sampling sites where fecal samples of wild animals were collected. Provinces are differentiated by colors, while sampling sites are represented by distinct shapes: circles for Cheongyang, squares for Hoengseong, and diamonds for Yangpyeong. Detailed information, such as the collection date and global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, are presented in Supplementary Table S1. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)