Human giardiasis in Serbia: asymptomatic vs symptomatic infection

The Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infections Among Kosovar and Serbian School-children in Kosovo

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and distribution of species of intestinal parasites in the Balkans on the example of Kosovar and Serbian residents from the region of Gnjilane ineastern Kosovo,where the epidemiology of intestinal parasitic infections remains unknown. Parasitological examination of stools pecimens was performed in 2017 and 2018. Stool samples were collected from asymptomatic school-children aged 6–17 years: 530 Kosovars from the municipality of Kaçanik and310 Serbs from the municipalities of Kamenica and Strpce. Each patient provided two stool samples collected every second day,fixed in SAF preservative and 70 % spiritus vini, transported to the Department of Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine at the Military Institute of Medicine in Poland,and tested by light microscopy using three diagnostic methods: directs mearin Lugol’s solution,decantation in distilled water, and Fülleborn’s flotation. A total of 101 Kosovar children (19.1 % of the study group)were found to be infected with intestinal parasites: nematodes (n=20), cestodes (n=2), trematodes (n=2), and protozoa (n=79). Only 13 Serbian children (4.2 %) were found to beinfected with nematodes (n=4),cestodes (n=3),and protozoa (n=6). Giardia intestinalis was themost prevalent intestinal parasite in both groups (14,9 % vs. 1.9 % children). The prevalence ofasymptomatic parasitic infections was significantly higher in Kosovars in comparison to the Serbsliving in the same region of eastern Kosovo. This fact shows that there may be significant differencesin the quality of health care and sanitation as well as feed hygiene between these two communities.

Multilocus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis from pigs in Korea

Giardia duodenalis (syn. G. intestinalis, G. lamblia) is an important zoonotic parasite infecting livestock (including pigs) through ingesting cysts in contaminated food or water. This parasite has been classified into eight different genetic assemblages, A to H. Here, we examined the individual-level prevalence of G. duodenalis in domestic pig farms and confirmed host specificity by genotype comparisons. Samples were collected from southern and central Korea, between May 2017 and January 2019. DNA directly extracted from 745 pig fecal specimens were tested by PCR for G. duodenalis small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssu rRNA), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), and β-giardin gene sequences. Based on ssu rRNA PCR, 110 (14.8%) were positive for G. duodenalis. Infection risk was the highest in the fattener group (31/139, 22.3%) and during the autumn season (52/245, 21.2%: p < .001). No statistically significant differences in risk for infection were observed between fecal types (normal versus diarrheal). Fifty ssu rRNA samples, three gdh samples, and five β-giardin samples were successfully sequenced and genotyped. Ssu rRNA assemblage sequence analysis identified E (40.0%, 20/50), D (34.0%, 17/50), C (24.0%, 12/50), and A (2.0%, 1/50). The gdh locus identified three samples as assemblage E, and the β-giardin locus identified four samples as assemblage E and one as assemblage C. Assemblage A sequences obtained (ssu rRNA; MK430919) had 100% identity with Giardia sequences isolated from a Korean individual (AJ293301), indicating the potential of zoonotic transmission. Continuous management and monitoring for prevention of transmission and protection of animal and human health are essential.

The Prevalence and Assemblages of Giardia Duodenalis in Dogs: A Systematic Review in Europe

Giardiasis is one of the most frequent causes of diarrhoeic diseases in the world. Giardia cysts are most commonly transferred via ingestion of contaminated water or food. On the basis of genetic characteristics Giardia duodenalis is classified in eight assemblages A—H. Zoonotic assemblages A and B are increasingly found in isolates from dogs which may constitute the reservoir of human giardiasis. This article presents a brief review of G. duodenalis assemblages detected in dogs that were documented in European countries.

Review of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in the eastern part of Europe, 2016

This paper reviews the current knowledge and understanding of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in humans, animals and the environment in 10 countries in the eastern part of Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Methods: Published scientific papers and conference proceedings from the international and local literature, official national health service reports, national databases and doctoral theses in local languages were reviewed to provide an extensive overview on the epidemiology, diagnostics and research on these pathogens, as well as analyse knowledge gaps and areas for further research. Results: Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. were found to be common in eastern Europe, but the results from different countries are difficult to compare because of variations in reporting practices and detection methodologies used. Conclusion: Upgrading and making the diagnosis/detection procedures more uniform is recommended throughout the region. Public health authorities should actively work towards increasing reporting and standardising reporting practices as these prerequisites for the reported data to be valid and therefore necessary for appropriate control plans.

Estimating and mapping the incidence of giardiasis in Colombia, 2009-2013

BACKGROUND

Giardiasis is one of the most common intestinal infections in the world. There have been no national studies on the morbidity of giardiasis in Colombia. In this study, incidence rates of giardiasis were estimated for the years 2009-2013.

METHODS

An observational, retrospective study of the giardiasis incidence in Colombia, 2009-2013, was performed using data extracted from the personal health records system (Registro Individual de Prestación de Servicios, RIPS). Official population estimates from the National Department of Statistics (DANE) were used for the estimation of crude and adjusted incidence rates (cases/100 000 population).

RESULTS

During the period studied, 15 851 cases were reported (median 3233/year; 5-year cumulated crude national rate of 33.97 cases/100 000 population). Of these, 50.3% were female; 58.4% were <10 years old and 14.8% were 10-19 years old. By region, 17.7% were from Bogotá (10.07 cases/100 000 population, 2009), 10.9% from Antioquia (9.42, 2009), 8.6% from Atlántico (15.67, 2009), and 6.5% from Risaralda (33.38, 2009). Cases were reported in all departments (even insular areas).

CONCLUSIONS

As giardiasis is neglected in many countries, surveillance is not regularly undertaken. Despite its limitations, this study is the first attempt to provide estimates of national giardiasis incidence with consistent findings regarding affected age groups and geographical distribution.

Multilocus sequence typing of canine Giardia duodenalis from South Eastern European countries

Giardia duodenalis is a worldwide occurring protozoan that can infect various mammalian hosts. While living conditions are getting closer between pet animals and owners, there is discussion whether dogs may contribute to the transmission of these pathogens to humans. The present study was conducted in order to identify the Giardia assemblages in dogs from South Eastern Europe. For this purpose, 1645 faecal samples of household and shelter dogs from Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia were tested for Giardia coproantigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A subset of 107 faecal samples demonstrating Giardia cysts by direct immunofluorescence assay (IFA) or microscopy (15-22 per country) plus 26 IFA-positive canine faecal samples from Croatia were used for DNA extraction and multilocus sequence typing with nested PCRs targeting five different gene loci: SSU rRNA, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, beta giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and triosephosphate isomerase (tpi). One third (33.7%) of the samples tested positive for Giardia antigen in the coproantigen ELISA. Shelter dogs were infected more frequently than household dogs (57.2 vs. 29.7%, p < 0.01). Amplification was obtained in 82.0, 12.8, 11.3, 1.5, and 31.6%, of the investigated samples at the SSU rRNA, bg, gdh and tpi loci and the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, respectively. The dog-specific assemblages C and D were identified in 50 and 68 samples, respectively. The results demonstrate that G. duodenalis should be considered as a common parasite in dogs from South Eastern Europe. However, there was no evidence for zoonotic Giardia assemblages in the investigated canine subpopulation.

In vitro activity of 'Mexican Arnica' Heterotheca inuloides Cass natural products and some derivatives against Giardia intestinalis

Giardiasis is a gastrointestinal disease that affects humans and other animals caused by parasitic protists of the genus Giardia. Giardia intestinalis (Syn. Giardia lamblia; Giardia duodenalis) infections can cause acute or chronic diarrhoea, dehydration, abdominal discomfort and weight loss. Metronidazole is the most widely used drug for treating giardiasis. Although effective, metronidazol has undesirable secondary effects. Plants used in traditional medicine as antidiarrhoeals or antiparasitics may represent alternative sources for new compounds to treat giardiasis. Heterotheca inuloides Cass. (Asteraceae/Compositae) plant is widely used in Mexican traditional medicine. The following secondary metabolites were isolated from H. inuloides flowers: 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (1), 7-hydroxycadalene (2), 3,7-dihydroxy-3(4H)-isocadalen-4-one (3), 1R,4R-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrocadalen-15-oic acid (4), quercetin (5), quercetin-3,7,3'-trimethyl ether (6), quercetin-3,7,3',4'-tetramethyl ether (7) and eriodictyol-7,4'-dimethyl ether (8). The activity of these compounds against Giardia intestinalis trophozoites was assessed in vitro as was the activity of the semisynthetic compounds 7-acetoxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (9), 7-benzoxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (10), 7-acetoxycadalene (11), 7-benzoxycadalene (12), quercetin pentaacetate (13) and 7-hydroxycalamenene (14). Among these, 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene (1) and 7-hydroxycalamenene (14) were the most active, whereas the remaining compounds showed moderate or no activity. The G. intestinalis trophozoites exposed to compound 1 showed marked changes in cellular architecture along with ultrastructural disorganization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the giardicidal activity of selected H. inuloides metabolites and some semisynthetic derivatives using an in vitro experimental model of giardiasis.