Molecular Epidemiology and Subtype Distributions of Blastocystis Sp. in Humans and Non-Human Primates

Blastocystis sp. is an intestinal protozoan that could infect human and many other non-human mammal hosts worldwide. It is estimated that there are currently more than one billion infections in humans, however the importance of public health is still remain controversy. In the recent years, various molecular epidemiological studies have been applied in the world to identify subtypes of Blastocystis sp., due to its remarkable genetic diversity. Blastocystis sp. isolates from humans and animals have been divided into 22 subtypes (STs) based on the phylogeny of small subunit rRNA genes (SSU rDNA). In this review, we investigated the molecular epidemiology and assessed the subtype distributions of Blastocystis sp. in humans and non-human primates (NHPs). These findings will update the epidemiology and subtype of Blastocystis sp., and it will help to understand the current subtypes and zoonotic potential of Blastocystis sp.