Director of Parasitology Antech Diagnostics Athens, GA, United States
Abstract:
Background: Giardia duodenalis is the most frequently reported protozoan of dogs and cats, and can have zoonotic potential. Molecular diagnostics have increased sensitivity for detecting parasites as compared to traditional fecal tests.
Objectives: To evaluate dog and cat positive proportion, relative risk, and adjusted odds ratio for demographic categories (age, sex, and geographic location), for G. duodenalis and Giardia with zoonotic potential (assemblages A/B). Animals: Anonymized dog and cat fecal samples (n = 1,768,322) from the United States submitted to a reference laboratory for KeyScreen® GI Parasite PCR panel testing between March 2022 and December 2023.
Methods: Samples were evaluated by qPCR detecting G. duodenalis and G. duodenalis with zoonotic potential (assemblages A/B). Logistic regression was performed to investigate strength and direction of the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) between independent and dependent variables.
Results: The positive proportion of G. duodenalis, and Giardia with zoonotic potential, was 13.15% and 1.67% for dogs, and 6.96% and 17.92% for cats, respectively. Demographic categories were described (Table). Dogs had a higher likelihood of G. duodenalis detection as compared to cats (AOR = 3.12, 95% CI: 2.86, 3.42). Cats were more likely than dogs to have zoonotic potential Giardia detected (AOR = 1.96 95% CI: 1.47, 2.61). Clinical importance: Our work provides needed clinical insights on G. duodenalis, and Giardia with zoonotic potential, positive proportions and demographic characterizations. These findings highlight detection differences between cats and dogs, particularly for Giardia with zoonotic potential, that will assist veterinarians with management, and guide One Health communications.
