Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Giardia infection rates in symptomatic dogs and cats in Europe
By Epe, C et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2010·Institute for Parasitology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Giardia in symptomatic dogs and cats in Europe--results of a European study.
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 25% of dogs and 20% of cats with diarrhea or vomiting in Europe tested positive for Giardia, a parasite that can cause gastrointestinal issues. Younger pets, especially those under 6 months old, were more likely to be infected. The research highlighted that dogs and cats with acute diarrhea had a significantly higher chance of testing positive compared to those without symptoms. The prevalence of Giardia varied by country, with lower rates in the UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Italy compared to Germany. This suggests that Giardia is a common cause of stomach problems in pets across Europe.
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Abstract
The percentage of Giardia infection in dogs and cats with gastrointestinal signs presenting to clinics was examined across Europe using the IDEXX SNAP Giardia Test (IDEXX Laboratories). Veterinary practices were asked to identify diarrheic and/or vomiting dogs and cats and to use the test on fecal samples from these animals. A selection for "asymptomatic" testing was also available on the data collection sheet for testing that occurred outside the target "symptomatic" population. Results from 8685 dogs and 4214 cats were submitted during the sampling period from 2005 to 2006. Analysis of the data showed 24.78% of the samples positive for Giardia among tested dogs and 20.3% among tested cats. The younger the dog or the cat, the higher the risk of being positive, peaking in the category below 6 months. The main clinical symptom, diarrhoea, also showed a higher risk of being positive, OR's of acute diarrhoea were almost double of those of the category "asymptomatic" for dogs or cats, the same range was calculated for chronic diarrhoea. Differences in participating countries were also seen. The risk of being positive was half or less in UK, Spain, Netherlands, Italy compared to Germany, and only in Belgium it showed to be higher. The results of this study show that Giardia is a common enteric agent among dogs and cats with gastrointestinal signs in Europe.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20637546/