Occurrence and multilocus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in black-boned sheep and goats in southwestern China

Abstract

BackgroundGiardia duodenalis is an important intestinal protozoan infecting both humans and animals, causing significant public health concern and immeasurable economic losses to animal husbandry. Sheep and goats have been reported as common reservoirs of G. duodenalis, but only a limited amount of information is available for native breeds of these small ruminants in China. The present study investigated the prevalence and multilocus genotypes of G. duodenalis in black-boned sheep and goats, two important native breeds in Yunnan Province, southwestern China.MethodsFecal samples were collected from 336 black-boned goats and 325 black-boned sheep from five counties (Meishui, Shanshu, Shilin, Yongsheng and Nanping) of Yunnan Province and the genomic DNA was extracted from these feces. The prevalence of G. duodenalis was determined by the nested PCR targeting the β-giardin (bg) gene. The assemblages and multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were investigated based on analyses of three genetic loci, i.e. bg, glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and triosephosphate isomerase (tpi).ResultsGiardia duodenalis infection was detected in both black-boned sheep and goats, and the prevalence of G. duodenalis in black-boned sheep (21.8%, 71/325) was significantly higher (χ2 = 36.63, df = 1, P < 0.001) than that in black-boned goats (4.8%, 16/336). Significant differences in prevalence were also observed in goats and sheep from different counties (χ2 = 39.83, df = 4, P < 0.001) and age groups (χ2 = 97.33, df = 3, P < 0.001). Zoonotic assemblage A and animal-specific assemblage E were identified in both black-boned sheep and goats with the latter as the predominant assemblage. Based on sequences obtained from the three genetic loci (bg, gdh and tpi), 16 MLGs were obtained in black-boned sheep and goats, including 15 MLGs in assemblage E and one MLG in assemblage A.ConclusionsOur results not only extended the host range of G. duodenalis, but also revealed high genetic variations in G. duodenalis assemblages. The findings of the present study also provide baseline data for preventing and controlling G. duodenalis infection in black-boned sheep and goats in Yunnan Province.

Molecular characterizations of Giardia duodenalis based on multilocus genotyping in sheep, goats, and beef cattle in Southwest Inner Mongolia, China

“…Giardia duodenalis assemblages A, B and E were identified, and G. duodenalis assemblage E was the dominant assemblage found in this study, which is consistent with previous reports [ 6 , 7 , 25 ]. Giardia duodenalis assemblages A and E were identified as the two most common assemblages in sheep, goats and cattle, with assemblage B reported occasionally [ 11 , 25 , 35 , 36 ].…”

“…Giardia duodenalis was initially screened via nested PCR amplification targeting the bg [ 7 ] gene, and then studied by a MLG analysis based on the gdh [ 4 ] and tpi [ 28 ] genes. After amplification, the DNA fragments were separated by agarose gel electrophoresis (1% agarose) stained with DNA Green (TIANDZ, Beijing, China) and observed using a Tanon 3500 Gel Image Analysis System (TANON, Shanghai, China).…”

“…The same nomenclature system as in previous reports was used in naming G. duodenalis assemblage E subtypes at each genetic locus. Undesignated subtype sequences previously published and novel subtype sequences identified in this study were named accordingly as E36–E40 at the bg locus, E45–E52 at the gdh locus, and E32 at the tpi locus [ 6 , 7 , 22 ] (Table 3).…”

Prevalence and Multilocus Genotyping of Giardia lamblia in Cattle in Jiangxi Province, China: Novel Assemblage E Subtypes Identified

“…Two novel subtypes (named as E45*, n = 4 and E46*, n = 1) and 3 novel subtypes (named as E42*, n= 5; E43*, n= 2 and E44*, n= 1) of assemblage E were identified at the gdh and tpi loci, respectively (Table 2). Previous studies have shown that the assemblage E is the primary genotype in different animals [1,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. Both assemblage A and assemblage E were also found in humans [1,5].…”

Prevalence and multi-locus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in rabbits from Shaanxi province in northwestern China

“…However, to date there have been only six reports on G. duodenalis infection from six Chinese provinces (Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Henan, Jilin, and Shandong) [30,41,42,56,70,71]. In this study, the prevalence and genetic diversity of G. duodenalis in farmed rabbits from Shaanxi province were investigated using a multilocus genotyping tool [11,43,67].…”