A systematic review and meta-analysis on the global prevalence and subtypes distribution of Blastocystis sp. infection in cattle: A zoonotic concern

•To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis showing a general overview of the Blastocystis infection prevalence and distribution of its related subtypes in cattle, globally.•Results of 28 studies (29 datasets) on cattle showed a 24.4 % (95 % CI: 16.9–33.9 %) prevalence for Blastocystis infection.•So far, 16 out of 26 reported subtypes (STs) were isolated from cattle, with ST10 as the highest-reported (32.3 %) as well as ST24 and ST25 as the lowest-reported STs (1.4 %).•A Among nine well-known zoonotic STs (ST1-ST8 and ST12), all STs except for ST8 were reported from cattle worldwide, demonstrating this animal species as a potential reservoir for human and other domestic animal infections. Blastocystosis is an interesting parasitosis, since the parasitic infection is still seriously neglected and a considerable zoonotic evidence is emerging. Blastocystis sp. infects the intestinal lumen of humans and a wide range of animals, while there is a lack of comprehensive information on Blastocystis epidemiology in cattle worldwide. Thus, the present systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by exploring four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google scholar) for relevant published papers up to 7th November 2020, utilizing a random-effects model to pool estimations and assign 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Results of 28 studies (29 datasets) on cattle showed a 24.4 % (95 % CI: 16.9–33.9 %) prevalence for Blastocystis infection. Also, 16 out of 26 reported subtypes (STs) were isolated from cattle, with ST10 (18 datasets) as the highest-reported [32.3 % (95 % CI: 21.6–45.3)] as well as ST24 and ST25 (one study each) as the lowest-reported STs [1.4 % (95 % CI: 0.2–9.1)]. Additionally, among nine well-known zoonotic STs (ST1-ST8 and ST12), all STs except for ST8 were reported from cattle worldwide, demonstrating this animal species as a potential reservoir for human infections. Meanwhile, the overall prevalence of Blastocystis in various subgroups (publication year, WHO regions, countries, continents, and age groups) was analyzed separately. The finding of the present review article highlights the cattle as a significant source of zoonotic transmission of Blastocystis infection to humans, which must be considered for preventive measures.