Zoonotic Giardiaduodenalis sub‐assemblage BIV in wild raccoons (Procyonlotor) from Germany and Luxembourg

Abstract

Giardia duodenalis is a cosmopolitan flagellate that causes giardiasis, one of the most significant gastrointestinal diseases in humans. This parasite can be a serious threat to public health because it can cause waterborne outbreaks as well as sporadic infections in humans. Invasive raccoons (Procyon lotor) may play a role in disseminating Giardia into the environment and transmitting it to humans and domestic animals because they live in high densities and deposit their faces in latrines near areas used by humans. While Giardia infections have been reported from raccoons in North America, it is unknown whether they carry G. duodenalis with zoonotic assemblage A and B, which have the potential to cause illness in humans. We collected faecal samples from 66 legally harvested raccoons in Germany and Luxembourg and examined for Giardia using molecular techniques. Using a quantitative PCR based on primers specific to Giardia genetic assemblages A and B, we detected the presence of zoonotic assemblage B in 27% (95% CI, 17.0-39.6) of all examined faecal samples from raccoons, including animals sampled in buildings. We did not detect genetic assemblage A in any of the samples. Sequences obtained from the glutamate dehydrogenase and beta-giardin gene fragments from a selection of three of the positive samples showed that raccoons carried a zoonotic G. duodenalis genotype belonging to sub-assemblage BIV, which is commonly found in humans and animals worldwide.Our results suggest that free-ranging raccoons have the potential to play an increasingly important role in the epidemiology of Giardia and pose a threat to public health in Europe and other regions where this species is common and lives in close association with humans.

First detection and low prevalence of Pearsonema spp. in wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) from Central Europe

“…Between 2015 and 2019, urinary bladders were collected from 499 Central European raccoons that were legally hunted and part of a zoonotic pathogen control study ( Heddergott et al, 2017 ; Heddergott et al, 2020a ; Heddergott et al, 2020b ; Solarczyk et al, 2021 ; Frantz et al, 2021 ). The selected study sites were characterised by a high raccoon densities (≥0.5 individuals per 100 ha; Fischer et al, 2016 ).…”

Giardia duodenalis in Wildlife: Exploring Genotype Diversity in Italy and across Europe

“…In wild hoofed animals from Norway, Poland, Croatia, Romania, Sweden, and The Netherlands, both assemblages A and B were found to a large extent in cervids (e.g., red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, moose, and reindeer) as well as in wild boar [13][14][15]23,26], while the "classical" bovine specific assemblage E was rarely detected in these hosts [24,25]. Canid-specific assemblages C and D have been identified in wolves and raccoon dogs in Croatia, Romania, and Poland [14,15,24,29]. However, among carnivores, also assemblages A and B have been seen in wolves, red foxes, and jackal in Norway, Sweden, and Croatia [14,16,27] and in a free-living European wildcat from Luxembourg [30].…”

Biliary giardiasis in raccoons (Procyon lotor)

“…Wyższą ekstensywność potwierdzono u zwierząt z terenów niezurbanizowanych, odpowiednio: 33,3% w Luksemburgu (3/9; 95% CI, 9,5-65,4) i 34,3% w Niemczech (12/35; 95% CI, 20,0-50,7), na których, jak wykazano, dieta szopów w większym stopniu bazuje na drobnych ssakach, z czym wiąże się wyższe ryzyko transmisji inwazji. Podobnie do prezentowanych wyników, autorzy cytowanej pracy wykazali wyższą prewalencję u samców niż u samic, jednak różnice w obu grupach były nieznaczne (12,13).…”

“…Wszystkie uzyskane dotychczas izolaty Giardia intestinalis od europejskiej populacji szopów należały do genotypu B (sub-genotyp BIV), który występuje również u ludzi, psów i kotów oraz wielu gatunków ssaków wolno żyjących, w tym m.in. u dzików, lisów czy jeleni (8,13,14). Wysoka ekstensywność giardiozy wśród szopów oraz wciąż wzrastająca liczba tych inwazyjnych ssaków w Europie sprawia, że gatunek ten należy poważnie brać pod uwagę jako źródło inwazji G. intestinalis dla ludzi i zwierząt.…”