Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Giardia infection in pet dogs in Sao Paulo Brazil explained
By Chiebao, Daniela Pontes et al.·Published in Zoonoses and public health·2020·Regional Laboratory of Sorocaba·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Epidemiological study of Giardia duodenalis infection in companion dogs from the metropolitan area of São Paulo Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 6.9% of pet dogs in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil, tested positive for Giardia duodenalis, a parasite that can cause diarrhea. Puppies under one year old were significantly more likely to be infected compared to older dogs. The researchers used various testing methods to accurately diagnose the infection, showing that these techniques work well together. While the situation is improving, continued efforts in diagnosis, treatment, and possibly vaccination are needed, especially for young dogs, to further reduce the spread of this parasite.
People also search for: dog diarrhea causes · Giardia treatment for puppies · how to prevent Giardia in dogs
Abstract
Giardia duodenalis is a zoonotic pathogen associated with gastrointestinal disease that has a direct life cycle, with cysts eliminated in the faeces of an infected host being ingested by a susceptible host. In Brazil, studies of chronically infected adult dogs estimated a prevalence of 10%-20%. Diagnosis of giardiasis, as a cause of diarrhoea is important for the global One-Health guidelines when controlling cyst dissemination in the environment. We investigated the prevalence of G. duodenalis in the pet dog population of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, compared the efficacy of direct tests available to the veterinary clinical practice and attempted to identify possible risk factors associated with the parasite. Ten veterinary practices distributed throughout the municipality randomly performed the rapid SNAP ELISA test on canine faecal samples, and dog owners provided information specific to the animal via a questionnaire. The samples were also analysed using sucrose and zinc sulphate flotation techniques. Sensitivity and specificity of the tests were used to calculate required number of samples and true prevalence. Significance, agreement among tests, and odds ratio (OR) were assessed with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. The prevalence of G. duodenalis in dogs (n = 265) was 6.9% (CI 3.47-11.21). Positive tests were significantly more frequent in animals younger than 1 year, with an OR for G. duodenalis occurrence nearly 7-fold that of older dogs. Direct diagnosis tests showed high agreement (96.1%, κ = 0.729; p < .0001) showing that the combined techniques provide a highly accurate diagnosis. Results indicated that the control of the pathogen has been improving in the pet dog population in metropolitan Sao Paulo, but management tools including diagnosis, immunization, and treatment, especially in puppies, must be continued in order to advance towards continuous decrease of the disease.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32347663/