title: The zoonotic significance and molecular epidemiology of Giardia and giardiasis.
abstract: The taxonomy and molecular epidemiology of Giardia and Giardia infections are reviewed in the context of zoonotic and waterborne transmission. Evidence to support the zoonotic transmission of Giardia is very strong, but how frequent such transmission occurs and under what circumstances, have yet to be determined. Zoonotic origin for waterborne outbreaks of Giardia infection appears to be uncommon. Similarly, livestock are unlikely to be an important source of infection in humans. The greatest risk of zoonotic transmission appears to be from companion animals such as dogs and cats, although further studies are required in different endemic foci in order to determine the frequency of such transmission.
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for the Molecular Epidemiology of Parasitic Infections and Western Australian Biomedical Research Institute, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. andrew_t@central.murdoch.edu.au
authors.forename: R C Andrew
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D005872:Giardia / Q000254:growth & development*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D014867:Water / Q000469:parasitology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D014867:Water