Occurrence and molecular typing of Giardia isolates in pet rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs and ferrets collected in Europe during 2006-2012

摘要

Whether small mammals that live as pets and are in close contact with people (particularly children) can be a source of zoonotic parasitic infections is a common question. The unicellular flagellate Giardia duodenalis (also known as Giardia intestinalis or Giardia lamblia) is known to cause gastroenteritis in a wide range of vertebrates, including people. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of G duodenalis isolates have identified eight distinct genetic groups known as assemblages A to H, which differ in their host distribution. Recent molecular findings have shown the presence of potentially zoonotic G duodenalis assemblages (mainly B) in samples from rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas, yet, to date, few epidemiological and molecular studies havebeen conducted in these pet animals.In this study, faecal samples from rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs collected by veterinarians from 2006 to 2012 were analysed for the presence of Giardia, and geno-typing was performed on selected positive samples (including one sample from a Desmarest's hutia). Since a recent study suggested a significant increase in Giardia infections in ferrets, genotyping of positive samples of ferrets was also undertaken.