title: Multilocus sequence analysis of Giardia spp. isolated from patients with diarrhea in Austria.
abstract: Giardia duodenalis is a protozoan parasite causing intestinal infections in a wide range of mammals. Two distinct assemblages, A and B, infect humans predominantly; however, both are believed to be generally zoonotic. Giardia strains associated with infections in Austria have not been investigated at the molecular level. In this study, 65 human stool samples microscopically positive for Giardia spp. were subjected to DNA isolation and nested PCR targeting fragments of the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), triose phosphate isomerase (tpi), and beta-gardin (bg) genes. A total of 52 samples were successfully analyzed using PCR and DNA sequencing. Assemblage B was detected most frequently and accounted for 65.4% (34/52) of infections, while Assemblage A accounted for 34.6% (18/52). There was a high level of genetic diversity among the isolates with 46.2% designated as sub-assemblage BIV (24/52), 25% sub-assemblage AII (13/52), 19.2% sub-assemblage BIII (10/52), and 9.6% sub-assemblage AI (5/52). No mixed infections were detected. The results suggest that the majority of infections were imported and that endemic anthroponotic transmission plays a minor role in Austria.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Department of Microbiology, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Mona, Jamaica.
authors.forename: Mellesia F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Auer
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Mona, Jamaica. john.lindo@uwimona.edu.jm.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lindo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walochnik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000469:parasitology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005872:Giardia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000469:parasitology*; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014305:Triose-Phosphate Isomerase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; D014305:Triose-Phosphate Isomerase
keywords: Assemblages; Austria; Giardia; Molecular epidemiology; Multilocus sequencing