Multilocus sequence typing of Blastocystis isolates in Aydin, Turkey.
Blastocystis, a stramenopile protozoon of the human gastrointestinal tract, has a worldwide distribution. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is described as a portable, universal, and definitive method for accurate strain identification of microorganisms and was recently used for detecting intra-subtype variability of Blastocystis. The present study aimed to determine MLST sequence types in Blastocystis isolates from a routine diagnostic laboratory at Adnan Menderes University, Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. Samples were inoculated into Jones's medium after native-Lugol examination. Total genomic DNA was isolated from positive cultures with a commercially available kit. A total of 11 polymerase chain reactions were performed for each isolate (five loci for subtype 3 and six loci for subtype 4) using previously published MLST primers. The amplicons were sequenced and queried against a MLST database. A total of 11 isolates were amplified with subtype 3 MLST primers and could be sequenced at all loci; however none of the isolates were amplified with subtype 4 MLST primers. The isolates in our study population contained ten new alleles and nine sequence types. The present study contributes to existing knowledge of MLST data for Blastocystis isolates and is the first MLST study from Turkey. Our study confirms the extensive genetic diversity in Blastocystis that was reported in previous studies using different methods.
Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Aydın, Turkey.
Sema
S
Ertug
Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Aydın, Turkey. Electronic address: erdogan.malatyali@adu.edu.tr.
Erdogan
E
Malatyali
Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, Aydın, Turkey.
Hatice
H
Ertabaklar
Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Aydın, Turkey.
Bulent
B
Bozdogan
D016844:Blastocystis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D014421:Turkey
Blastocystis; MLST; Turkey