A large scale molecular study of Giardia duodenalis in horses from Colombia.
Abstract: The prevalence of Giardia duodenalis assemblages in horses is poorly known. The present study examined feces from 195 horses, 1 month-17 years of age, in 4 locations in Colombia. Prevalence of infection was determined by PCR and all positives were sequenced to determine the genotypes. Thirty four (17.4%) horses were found positive. This is the first report of G. duodenalis in horses from Colombia. Prevalence in female and male horses was 18.9% and 15.1%, respectively. Prevalence in horses 1 year of age was 21.1% and 15.1%, respectively. Molecular characterization using the beta giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), triose phosphate isomerase (tpi), and small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssurRNA) genes identified G. duodenalis Assemblages A and B, the assemblages regarded as zoonotic.
Published by Elsevier B.V.
Publication Date: 2013-02-21 PubMed ID: 23474231DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.02.006Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Disease Management
- Disease Outbreaks
- Disease Prevalence
- Disease Surveillance
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Genetics
- Horses
- Infection
- Infectious Disease
- Public Health
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The research is a large-scale study into the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis, a parasitic microorganism, in horses in Colombia, revealing significant findings about the infection rate and the genotypes present.
Objective and Methodology
- This study is aimed at understanding the prevalence of Giardia duodenalis in horses in Colombia, a subject which was previously not well known. The study was large scale, involving the examination of feces from 195 horses ranging from 1 month to 17 years of age across 4 different locations.
- The researchers used a scientific technique known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify the presence of Giardia duodenalis in the feces samples. PCR is a method widely used in molecular biology to make several copies of a specific DNA segment, allowing researchers to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating millions or more copies of the DNA piece.
- All positive samples (samples in which presence of Giardia duodenalis was detected) were then sequenced to determine the genotype.
Study Findings
- The study revealed that out of the total test subjects, 34 horses (or 17.4%) were found to be infected with Giardia duodenalis. This was noted as the first report of the parasite in Colombian horses, emphasizing the value of the study.
- The prevalence of the infection varied slightly based on gender and age. It was observed that 18.9% of female horses and 15.1% of male horses were infected. Furthermore, 21.1% of horses less than 1 year old and 15.1% of horses older than 1 year were infected.
- More nuanced findings were related to the genotyping of the parasite. The molecular characterization of the parasite using specific genes (beta giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), triose phosphate isomerase (tpi), and small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssurRNA)) revealed the presence of Assemblages A and B in the horses. These assemblages are known to be zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, which potentially increases the public health importance of these findings.
Cite This Article
APA
Santín M, Cortés Vecino JA, Fayer R.
(2013).
A large scale molecular study of Giardia duodenalis in horses from Colombia.
Vet Parasitol, 196(1-2), 31-36.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.02.006 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, ARS, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, USA. monica.santin-duran@ars.usda.gov
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Colombia / epidemiology
- Feces / parasitology
- Female
- Giardia lamblia / genetics
- Giardiasis / epidemiology
- Giardiasis / parasitology
- Giardiasis / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Male
- Prevalence
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Zárate Rodriguez PT, Collazos-Escobar LF, Benavides-Montaño JA. Endoparasites Infecting Domestic Animals and Spectacled Bears (Tremarctos ornatus) in the Rural High Mountains of Colombia.. Vet Sci 2022 Sep 29;9(10).
- Baek S, Maloney JG, Molokin A, George NS, Cortés Vecino JA, Santin M. Diversity of Blastocystis Subtypes in Horses in Colombia and Identification of Two New Subtypes.. Microorganisms 2022 Aug 24;10(9).
- Paruch L, Paruch AM. Molecular Identification of Infectious Enteropathogens in Faeces of Healthy Horses.. Microbiol Insights 2022;15:11786361221089005.
- Cai W, Ryan U, Xiao L, Feng Y. Zoonotic giardiasis: an update.. Parasitol Res 2021 Dec;120(12):4199-4218.
- Xiao L, Feng Y. Molecular epidemiologic tools for waterborne pathogens Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis.. Food Waterborne Parasitol 2017 Sep-Dec;8-9:14-32.
- Li F, Wang R, Guo Y, Li N, Feng Y, Xiao L. Zoonotic potential of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in horses and donkeys in northern China.. Parasitol Res 2020 Mar;119(3):1101-1108.
- Qi M, Ji X, Zhang Y, Wei Z, Jing B, Zhang L, Lin X, Karim MR, Wang H, Sun M. Prevalence and multilocus analysis of Giardia duodenalis in racehorses in China.. Parasitol Res 2020 Feb;119(2):483-490.
- Deng L, Li W, Zhong Z, Liu X, Chai Y, Luo X, Song Y, Wang W, Gong C, Huang X, Hu Y, Fu H, He M, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Wu K, Cao S, Peng G. Prevalence and molecular characterization of Giardia intestinalis in racehorses from the Sichuan province of southwestern China.. PLoS One 2017;12(12):e0189728.
- Nguyen ST, Fukuda Y, Nguyen DT, Dao HT, LE DQ, Bui KL, Tada C, Nakai Y. Prevalence, genotyping and risk factors of Giardia duodenalis from dogs in Vietnam.. J Vet Med Sci 2018 Jan 27;80(1):92-97.
- Nolan MJ, Unger M, Yeap YT, Rogers E, Millet I, Harman K, Fox M, Kalema-Zikusoka G, Blake DP. Molecular characterisation of protist parasites in human-habituated mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), humans and livestock, from Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Uganda.. Parasit Vectors 2017 Jul 18;10(1):340.
- Zhang XX, Zhang FK, Li FC, Hou JL, Zheng WB, Du SZ, Zhao Q, Zhu XQ. The presence of Giardia intestinalis in donkeys, Equus asinus, in China.. Parasit Vectors 2017 Jan 3;10(1):3.
- Moore CE, Elwin K, Phot N, Seng C, Mao S, Suy K, Kumar V, Nader J, Bousfield R, Perera S, Bailey JW, Beeching NJ, Day NP, Parry CM, Chalmers RM. Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium Species and Giardia duodenalis from Symptomatic Cambodian Children.. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016 Jul;10(7):e0004822.
- Xu H, Jin Y, Wu W, Li P, Wang L, Li N, Feng Y, Xiao L. Genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Giardia duodenalis in dogs and cats in Shanghai, China.. Parasit Vectors 2016 Mar 1;9:121.
- Nguyen ST, Fukuda Y, Nguyen DT, Tada C, Nakai Y. Prevalence and first genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in beef calves in Vietnam.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2016 Apr;48(4):837-41.
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