Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Best tests to diagnose Giardia infection in dogs and identify
By Gabrielli, Simona et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2024·Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparative performance evaluation of four different methods for diagnosing Giardia infection in dogs and zoonotic assemblages' identification.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Central Italy were tested for Giardia, a parasite that can infect both pets and humans, to see which diagnostic methods worked best. The Direct Fluorescence Antibody test (DFA) and zinc sulfate flotation technique were found to be the most effective at detecting the parasite in stool samples. While a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) showed promise as a backup option, PCR testing was less reliable but did identify a zoonotic strain in some cases. Overall, about 26% of the dogs tested positive for Giardia, highlighting the importance of monitoring this infection for both pet and human health.
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Abstract
Giardia duodenalis (syn. G. intestinalis or G. lamblia) is a parasitic protozoan that infects the upper intestinal tract of a broad range of hosts, including humans and domestic animals. Thus, it has raised concerns about the public health risk due to companion animals. Recently, with the improvement of living standards and increasing contacts between pets and humans, the zoonotic transmission of Giardia has dramatically increased. From a genetic point of view, G. duodenalis should be viewed as a complex species that includes eight different species-specific genetic assemblages. The laboratory diagnosis is mainly based on the finding of microscopic cysts in stool samples by coprological examination. Other methods include the detection of antigens, immunoassays or PCR protocols, which allow the identification of Giardia assemblages. The study aimed to compare the performance of Direct Fluorescence Antibody test (DFA), zinc sulfate flotation technique (ZnSO4), rapid diagnostic test (RDT), end-point PCR amplification (PCR) for the detection of Giardia and to identify the concerning assemblages in a canine population from Central Italy. Direct fluorescence antibody test is the reference standard for laboratory diagnosis of Giardia in fecal samples from dogs, despite the microscopic examination after flotation remains the most useful method in many veterinary diagnostic centers. The present findings demonstrate the high performance of DFA and ZnSO4 in detecting Giardia, while RDT may be useful as alternative or complementary method to the DFA and ZnSO4. PCR performance was low, but it allowed determining Giardia B zoonotic assemblage in 25% of the PCR-positive specimens (15 out of 60), while the remaining PCR-positive isolates belonged to the dog-specific assemblage C. The 26% prevalence of G. duodenalis detected by DFA in owned dogs and the identification of potentially zoonotic assemblages underline the potential risk for public health and indicate frequent cross-species transmission of the parasite between humans and dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38749124/