Pathogen seasonality and genetics in dairy cattle at an Inner Mongolia farm

A 2024 study of dairy cattle at one intensive farm in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, found distinct seasonal patterns and genetic diversity in two intestinal pathogens. Researchers tested 505 fecal samples and detected Enterocytozoon bieneusi , a microsporidian, in 26.53% and Giardia duodenalis in 29.90%. Detection of E. bieneusi predominated in spring and winter, while detection of G. duodenalis predominated in autumn and winter.

The findings establish a one-year, single-farm baseline for these organisms in cattle in Inner Mongolia. The observational study collected cattle fecal samples during different seasonal sampling periods in 2024. Investigators extracted genomic DNA and then used nested polymerase chain reaction and sequencing to detect the pathogens and characterize their genetic variation.

The internal transcribed spacer region was amplified for E. bieneusi . For G. duodenalis , the researchers analyzed the small-subunit ribosomal RNA, beta-giardin, glutamate dehydrogenase and triosephosphate isomerase genes. This design paired prevalence measurements across seasons with genetic characterization of the detected organisms, allowing the investigators to compare both the frequency of detection and the diversity of identified genotypes or assemblages.

BEB4 was the dominant genotype in the sampled material. Three G. duodenalis assemblages—A, B and E—were identified, with assemblage E predominating. Thus, the genetic results documented multiple recognized genotypes of E. bieneusi and multiple assemblages of G. duodenalis in the cattle examined.

The authors described the investigation as the first systematic study of the seasonal distribution of these two pathogens in cattle in Inner Mongolia. Its scope was limited to 505 fecal samples collected during 2024 at a single intensive dairy farm in Hohhot, and the seasonal comparisons therefore describe that farm and sampling year rather than establishing population-wide trends across Inner Mongolia or China. Likewise, the genotype and assemblage findings characterize the sampled cattle and do not by themselves establish how the organisms are transmitted, whether particular genetic variants influence disease, or whether control measures are effective.

By combining season-specific prevalence estimates with sequencing-based identification, the study provides a baseline for the epidemiology and genetic diversity of E. bieneusi and G. duodenalis in an intensive dairy-cattle setting.

Subject of Research: Seasonal prevalence and genetic diversity of two intestinal pathogens in dairy cattle at an intensive farm in Inner Mongolia, China

Article Title: Seasonal Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in Dairy Cattle from an Intensive Farm in Inner Mongolia, China

Article References: Liu, Y.-Y., Zhao, C.-X., Jia, J.-T., Liu, Z., Liu, T., Zhang, C.-H., Lv, Y.-R., Xue, S.-Y., Ding, Y.-L., Zhao, L., & Liu, Y.-H. (2026). Seasonal Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in Dairy Cattle from an Intensive Farm in Inner Mongolia, China. Acta Parasitologica, 71(6), Article 241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-026-01429-4

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11686-026-01429-4

Keywords: dairy cattle, intestinal pathogens, seasonal prevalence, genetic diversity, microsporidia, fecal PCR, Inner Mongolia, China, Seasonal, Distribution, Genetic, Diversity