Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Sporadic Giardiasis and Parasite Assemblages in North West England

Giardia duodenalis is a major cause of infectious gastroenteritis worldwide, and it is diversified into eight genetic assemblages (A to H), which are distinguishable only by molecular typing. There is some evidence that the assemblages infecting humans (assemblages A and B) may have different transm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical microbiology 2015-10, Vol.53 (10), p.3133-3140
Main Authors: Minetti, Corrado, Lamden, Kenneth, Durband, Caroline, Cheesbrough, John, Platt, Katherine, Charlett, Andre, O'Brien, Sarah J, Fox, Andrew, Wastling, Jonathan M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Dogs
England - epidemiology
Female
Genotype
Genotyping Techniques
Giardia - classification
Giardia - genetics
Giardia - isolation & purification
Giardiasis - epidemiology
Giardiasis - parasitology
Giardiasis - pathology
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Parasitology
Risk Factors
Young Adult
Zoonoses - epidemiology
Zoonoses - parasitology
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Summary:Giardia duodenalis is a major cause of infectious gastroenteritis worldwide, and it is diversified into eight genetic assemblages (A to H), which are distinguishable only by molecular typing. There is some evidence that the assemblages infecting humans (assemblages A and B) may have different transmission routes, but systematically acquired data, combining epidemiological and molecular findings, are required. We undertook a case-control study with Giardia genotyping in North West England, to determine general and parasite assemblage-specific risk factors. For people without a history of foreign travel, swimming in swimming pools and changing diapers were the most important risk factors for the disease. People infected with assemblage B reported a greater number of symptoms and higher frequencies of vomiting, abdominal pain, swollen stomach, and loss of appetite, compared with people infected with assemblage A. More importantly, keeping a dog was associated only with assemblage A infections, suggesting the presence of a potential zoonotic reservoir for this assemblage. This is the first case-control study to combine epidemiological data with Giardia genotyping, and it shows the importance of integrating these two levels of information for better understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen.
ISSN:0095-1137
1098-660X
DOI:10.1128/JCM.00715-15