Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of in Cervids from Milu Park in Beijing, China.

is the most prevalent microsporidian species that can cause zoonotic diseases in humans and animals. Despite receiving increasing attention in relation to domestic animals, there has been limited information on the infection burden of in cervids. Altogether, 215 fecal samples collected from four deer species in Beijing, China were examined by nested- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. The overall prevalence of in deer was 21.9% (47/215), with 30.0% (24/80) in Pere David's deer, 27.3% (15/55) in fallow deer, 12.5% (5/40) in sika deer, and 7.5% (3/40) in Chinese water deer. Thirteen genotypes were identified, including six known (HLJD-V, MWC_d1, BEB6, CGC2, JLD-XV, and HND-I) and seven novel genotypes (BJED-I to BJED-V, BJFD, and BJCWD). A phylogenetic analysis showed that 38.3% of the isolates belonged to zoonotic Group 1. In addition, infection was first detected in fallow deer and Chinese water deer, which could act as potential zoonotic reservoirs. Our findings suggest that circulates in deer and might be of importance to public health.