We are delighted to share this study , to which we had the pleasure of contributing, led by Viscogliosi Eric (CNRS – Research Director – CIIL), Muriel Guyard-Nicodème and Marianne Chemaly (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire – Anses), which provides new insights into the circulation of Blastocystis, the most common intestinal protozoan in humans, in French broiler chicken farms.

By screening approximately 1,000 broiler chickens from 66 farms over one year, Constance Denoyelle and colleagues conducted the largest survey ever performed in Europe and the second largest worldwide on Blastocystis in poultry. Nearly one in two chickens carried the parasite, and more than 80% of farms tested positive. The study also shows that farming system, bird age, outdoor access, and season all shape parasite circulation.
Importantly, the researchers confirmed the overwhelming predominance of avian Blastocystis subtypes with zoonotic potential, highlighting poultry as a potential reservoir for human infection and raising new questions about transmission routes that remain largely underexplored.

These findings reinforce the importance of a One Health approach to better understand pathogen circulation at the interface between animal, environmental, and human health.

👉 Read the publication: https://lnkd.in/eWaCQMeG