Epidemiologia e caracterização molecular de Giardia duodenalis em cães na região Sul do Rio Grande do Sul-RS

Abstract

Giardia duodenalis is a protozoan with worldwide distribution that causes the enteric disease called giardiasis. This disease affects more than 280 million people a year worldwide and its prevalence can reach 30% in some countries. Symptomatology can vary depending on the host, ranging from asymptomatic infection or with mild symptoms to severe and chronic disease. It presents forms of direct and indirect transmission, with water transmission and fecal-oral transmission as important routes of infection. It is of public health interest that host-specific genotypes are differentiated from those that have zoonotic potential. The present study aimed to collect epidemiological and molecular data on G. duodenalis in dogs in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 152 samples were collected and an epidemiological questionnaire was applied to tutors at the time of collection. Samples were observed under optical microscopy to visualize cysts and processed for molecular analysis to investigate genotypes. The true frequency of infected dogs in the region was 37.3%. Epidemiological factors that presented a risk relationship were the ingestion of untreated water (OR=4.90) and household in rural areas (OR=4.23). Dogs with diarrheal stools are 4.65 times more likely to be infected with G. duodenalis. Molecular analyzes revealed that most of the samples were similar to genotypes C and D, specific to canids, except two that showed similarity to genotype B isolated from humans. Efforts in the means of control and prevention of this zoonosis must be concentrated, focusing mainly on the identified risk factors. Further research should be carried out to reinforce our data, as we emphasize that this was the first study to investigate the epidemiological and molecular profile of G. duodenalis in dogs in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul.