Objective: To determine the species and genotypes of Balantidium isolated from pigs in Henan province, China.
Methods: Scatoscopy and the modified DMEM media were used to isolate trophozoites of Balantidium from pig feces. The ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2-based molecular marker method, Acridine orange staining ( AO) and microscopic observation were used to determine the population characteristics among different isolates of B. coli from various pigs farms.
Results: We isolated 15 isolates from the pigs at diagnosis in the Animal Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology from the pig farms of the 8 counties or cities of the west of Henan province in total, and all of them belong to the same species B. coli. MJ-2 and SX-1 isolates were genotype A of B. coli, and the remaining 13 isolates were genotype B. Trophozoites of MJ-2 and SX-1 were bigger, moved more slowly and lower density in feces and in vitro culture than other 13 isolates, while structures of their nuclei were not different.
Conclusion: Both genotype A and B of B. coli are present in the pig farms of the west of Henan province, China, and genotype B is the determinant population in pigs farms. These findings could provide an important implication for the effective control of balantidiosis of human and other hosts.