Prevalence and molecular typing of Giardia spp. in captive mammals at the zoo of Zagreb, Croatia

A total of 131 faecal samples from 57 mammalian species housed at the zoo of Zagreb, Croatia, were tested for the presence of Giardia spp. cysts using epifluorescence microscopy. The overall prevalence (29%) was high, yet all animals were asymptomatic at the time of sampling. Positive samples were c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary parasitology 2011-01, Vol.175 (1-2), p.40-46
Main Authors: Beck, Relja, Sprong, Hein, Bata, Ingeborg, Lucinger, Snjezana, Pozio, Edoardo, Cacciò, Simone M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal diseases
Animals
Animals, Zoo
Artiodactyla
Captive mammals
Carnivora
Croatia - epidemiology
disease prevalence
DNA, Intergenic - genetics
DNA, Protozoan - genetics
epifluorescence microscopy
fecal samples
feces
Feces - parasitology
fluorescent antibody technique
Genotype
Giardia
Giardia - genetics
Giardia - isolation & purification
Giardia duodenalis
Giardia microti
Giardiasis - epidemiology
Giardiasis - parasitology
Hyracoidea
isolation
Mammals
molecular sequence data
Molecular typing
nucleotide sequences
pathogen identification
Phylogeny
polymerase chain reaction
Prevalence
Primates
Rodentia
sequence analysis
zoo animals
Zoonotic potential
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Summary:A total of 131 faecal samples from 57 mammalian species housed at the zoo of Zagreb, Croatia, were tested for the presence of Giardia spp. cysts using epifluorescence microscopy. The overall prevalence (29%) was high, yet all animals were asymptomatic at the time of sampling. Positive samples were characterized by PCR and sequence analysis of both conserved and variable loci, for the identification of Giardia species and G. duodenalis assemblages and genotypes. Assemblages A and C were identified in Artiodactyla, assemblage B in Primates, Rodentia and Hyracoidea, and assemblages A, B, C and D, as well as Giardia microti, in Carnivora. Genotyping at the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 region, at the triose phosphate isomerase, glutamate dehydrogenase and beta-giardin genes revealed extensive polymorphisms, particularly among assemblage B isolates. A phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences showed that isolates from captive mammals housed at the zoo are genetically different from isolates of human and domestic animal origin. This is the first survey in a zoological garden to include a molecular characterization of the parasite, and provides novel sequence data of G. duodenalis from many previously uncharacterized hosts.
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.09.026