title: Molecular Characterization of Giardia duodenalis in Children in Kenya.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Giardia duodenalis is an important intestinal protozoan in humans worldwide with high infection rates occurring in densely populated and low resource settings. The parasite has been recorded to cause diarrhea in children. This study was carried out to identify G. duodenalis assemblages and sub-assemblages in children presenting with diarrhea in Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2112 faecal samples were collected from children aged ≤ 5 years and screened for the presence of Giardia cysts using microscopy. A total of 96 (4.5%) samples were identified as Giardia positive samples and were genotyped using glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) and β-giardin loci.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The three markers successfully genotyped 72 isolates and grouped 2 (1.4) isolates as Assemblage A, 64 (88.9) as Assemblage B and 7 (9.7%) consisted of mixed infections with assemblage A and B. A further analysis of 50 isolates using GDH Polymerase Chain Reaction and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) categorized 2 assemblage A isolates as sub-assemblage AII while 6 and 14 assemblage B isolates were categorized into sub-assemblage BIII and BIV respectively. A mixed infection with sub-assemblage BIII and BIV was recorded in 28 isolates. Over half (55.6%) of Giardia infections were recorded among the children between 13 to 48 months old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper reports the first data on the assemblages and sub-assemblages of Giardia duodenalis in children representing with diarrhea in Kenya.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbiological Research, KEMRI, P.O Box 19464-00202, Nairobi, Kenya. cmkathure@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mbae
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbiological Research, KEMRI, P.O Box 19464-00202, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mulinge
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbiological Research, KEMRI, P.O Box 19464-00202, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guleid
authors.affiliation: International Livestock Research Institute, Naivasha Rd, P.O Box 30709, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wainaina
authors.affiliation: Kenya Medical Research Institute, P. O Box 58540-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Waruru
authors.affiliation: Murdoch University, School of Health Professions, Peel Campus, Mandurah, WA, 6210, Australia.
authors.forename: Z K
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Njiru
authors.affiliation: Centre for Microbiological Research, KEMRI, P.O Box 19464-00202, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kariuki
mesh_terms: D002662:Child Health Services; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005872:Giardia / Q000235:genetics*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014305:Triose-Phosphate Isomerase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; D014305:Triose-Phosphate Isomerase
keywords: Children; Genotyping; Giardia; Informal settlements; Kenya; Subtyping