Molecular data concerning the prevalence and subtype (ST) distribution of the intestinal parasite Blastocystis sp. remain scarce in the Middle East. Accordingly, we performed the first molecular epidemiological survey ever conducted in the Syrian population. A total of 306 stool samples were collected from Syrian refugees living in 26 informal tented settlements (ITS) subjected or not to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions in North Lebanon, then screened for the presence of Blastocystis sp. by real-time polymerase chain reaction followed by subtyping. The overall prevalence of the parasite was shown to reach 63.7%. Blastocystis sp. colonization was not significantly associated with gender, age, symptomatic status, abdominal pain or diarrhea. In contrast, WASH intervention status of ITS was identified as a risk factor for infection. Among a total of 164 subtyped isolates, ST3 was predominant, followed by ST1, ST2, and ST10. No particular ST was reported to be associated with age, gender, symptomatic status, digestive disorders, or WASH intervention status of ITS. Intra-ST diversity of ST1 to ST3 was low suggesting large-scale anthroponotic transmission. Moreover, comparative analysis of ST1 to ST3 genotypes revealed that the circulation of the parasite between Syrian refugees and the host population was likely limited.

中文翻译：

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芽孢杆菌属 在黎巴嫩北部居住的叙利亚难民社区中的患病率和亚型分布

有关肠道寄生虫Blastocystis sp。的患病率和亚型（ST）分布的分子数据。在中东仍然稀缺。因此，我们进行了有史以来第一次在叙利亚人口中进行的分子流行病学调查。从居住在26个非正式帐篷定居点（ITS）的叙利亚难民中总共收集了306个粪便样本，这些定居点在黎巴嫩北部遭受了水，环境卫生和卫生（WASH）的干预，然后进行筛查是否存在Blastocystis sp。通过实时聚合酶链反应，然后进行亚型分析。寄生虫的总患病率显示为63.7％。囊藻sp。移殖与性别，年龄，症状状态，腹痛或腹泻没有显着相关。相反，ITS的WASH干预状态被确定为感染的危险因素。在总共164个亚型分离株中，ST3占优势，其次是ST1，ST2和ST10。据报道没有特别的ST与ITS的年龄，性别，症状状态，消化系统疾病或WASH干预状态有关。ST1到ST3的ST内多样性较低，提示大规模人为传播。此外，对ST1至ST3基因型的比较分析表明，叙利亚难民与收容人口之间的寄生虫传播很可能受到限制。