Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Giardia infection rates in shelter dogs in Korea by age and breed
By Shin, Jin-Cheol et al.·Published in The Korean journal of parasitology·2015·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Molecular Detection of Giardia intestinalis from Stray Dogs in Animal Shelters of Gyeongsangbuk-do (Province) and Daejeon, Korea.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of stray dogs in shelters in Korea was tested for Giardia, a parasite that can cause gastrointestinal issues in both dogs and humans. About 33% of the dogs were found to be infected, with a higher rate in young dogs under one year old and in mixed breed dogs compared to purebreds. Symptomatic dogs, those showing signs of illness, had a much higher infection rate than healthy dogs. The findings suggest that these dogs could spread Giardia to humans, highlighting the need for good hygiene practices in shelters.
People also search for: dog diarrhea Giardia treatment · symptoms of Giardia in dogs · how to prevent Giardia in pets
Abstract
Giardia is a major public health concern and considered as reemerging in industrialized countries. The present study investigated the prevalence of giardiosis in 202 sheltered dogs using PCR. The infection rate was 33.2% (67/202); Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daejeon showed 25.7% (39/152, P<0.0001) and 56% (28/50), respectively. The prevalence of infected female dogs (46.7%, P<0.001) was higher than in male dogs (21.8%). A higher prevalence (43.5%, P<0.0001) was observed in mixed breed dogs than purebred (14.1%). Although most of the fecal samples collected were from dogs of ≥1 year of age which showed only 27.4% positive rate, 61.8% (P<0.001) of the total samples collected from young animals (<1 year of age) were positive for G. intestinalis. A significantly higher prevalence in symptomatic dogs (60.8%, P<0.0001) was observed than in asymptomatic dogs (23.8%). Furthermore, the analysis of nucleotide sequences of the samples revealed that G. intestinalis Assemblages A and C were found in the feces of dogs from Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daejeon. Since G. intestinalis Assemblage A has been known to infect humans, our results suggest that dogs can act as an important reservoir of giardiosis in Korea. Hence, hygienic management should be given to prevent possible transmission to humans.
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/26323847/