Affiliation:
1. Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China
2. Shanxi Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, China
3. Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health of Higher Education of Yunnan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
Abstract
Giardia duodenalis is a ubiquitous flagellated protozoan, causing significant economic losses to animal husbandry and posing threats to public health. China ranks the world’s sixth largest major producer of donkeys, rearing approximately 2.6 million donkeys in 2019, but limited investigation of G. duodenalis prevalence has been conducted in the past, and it is yet to be known whether donkeys in Shanxi Province are infected with G. duodenalis. In the present study, a total of 815 fecal samples collected from donkeys in representative regions of Shanxi Province, North China, were examined for G. duodenalis using nested PCR. Then, the assemblages and multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were examined based on three established loci: namely, β-giardin (bg), triosephosphate isomerase (tpi), and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh). The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis in donkeys in Shanxi Province was 16.81% (137/815). The region was identified as the main risk factor for the observed difference in G. duodenalis prevalence in donkeys among the three study areas (χ2 = 21.611, p < 0.001). Assemblages A, E, and B were identified, with the latter as the predominant assemblage. Three MLGs (MLG-novel-1 to 3) were formed based on sequence variation among the three loci. The present study reveals the presence of G. duodenalis in donkeys in Shanxi Province, North China, for the first time, which not only enriches the data on the distribution of G. duodenalis in donkeys in China but also provides useful baseline data for planning control strategies against G. duodenalis infection in the sampled areas.
Funder
the Shanxi Province Excellent Doctoral Work Award—Scientific Research Project
the Research Fund of Shanxi Province for Introduced High-level Leading Talents
the Fund for Shanxi “1331 Project”
the Special Research Fund of Shanxi Agricultural University for High-level Talents
Subject
General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology