Identification of zoonotic Giardia genotypes in marsupials in Australia.
A total of 421 fecal samples from a variety of captive and wild marsupial hosts in Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia were screened for the presence of Giardia species/genotypes using PCR and sequence analysis of a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene. Giardia spp. were identified in 13.4% (28/209) of samples from captive marsupials and 13.7% (29/212) of samples from wild marsupials. Sequence analysis at the 18S locus identified the zoonotic Giardia duodenalis Genotypes A and B in both captive and wild marsupials. Eight isolates were typed as genotype B3 and B4 at the gdh locus, although 7/8 were typed as genotype A at the 18S rRNA locus. The possible reasons for this discordance are discussed. This is the first report of genotype B and only the second report of genotype A in marsupials. As some of the genotype B isolates were identical to human-derived Giardia gdh sequences, these results suggest that marsupials in catchments may pose a public health risk and therefore warrant further investigation.
Thompson
Jacqui
J
Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch Drive, Perth, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
Yang
Rongchang
R
Power
Michelle
M
Hufschmid
Jasmin
J
Beveridge
Ian
I
Reid
Simon
S
Ng
Josephine
J
Armson
Anthony
A
Ryan
Una
U
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005838:Genotype; D005872:Giardia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008394:Marsupialia / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000469:parasitology*
D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S