Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis in Stray and Shelter Dogs of Van and Molecular Characterization of Isolates Based on β-Giardin Gene Phylogenetic Analysis
Öz
Giardia duodenalis is an intestinal protozoan parasite that infects a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans and dogs. This study aimed to determine prevalence of G. Duodenalis in stray and shelter dogs in Van province, Türkiye, and to perform molecular characterization of the isolates based on the β-giardin gene. Following DNA extraction from from fecal samples, the β-giardin gene region was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The infection rate was 7.23% in shelter dogs and 28.20% in stray dogs. Sequence analysis of the β-giardin gene revealed that six isolates (18.18%) belonged to assemblage B, 10 (30.30%) to assemblage C, 14 (42.42%) to assemblage D, and three (9.09%) to assemblage E. The infection rate was significantly higher in stray dogs than in shelter dogs (*p* <.001, OR = 5.04). The infection rate in dogs older than 2 years was 21.21% (14/66), whereas it was 11.58% (19/164) in dogs younger than 2 years; however, this difference was not statistically significant (*p* > .05, OR = 2.05). The infection rate in females was 17.35% (21/127 while it was 11.65% (12/103), and the difference between sexes was not statistically significant (*p* > .05). The infection rate in dogs with diarrhea was 25.89% (29/112), whereas in non-diarrheic dogs it was 3.38% (4/118). A significantly higher infection rate was detected in dogs with diarrhea compared to non-diarrheic dogs (p < .001, OR = 9.96). This study represents the first report of the zoonotic assemblage B of G. duodenalis in dogs from Van province, Türkiye.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Giardia duodenalis, dog, β-giardin, Turkey, molecular characterization, Türkiye
Etik Beyan
Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Animal Experiments Local Ethics Committee with protocol number 20230106.
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