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PubMed1989

[Experimental infection of calves and sheep with bovine Giardia isolates].

9 Giardia-free calves were artificially infected with 1.5-5.1 x 10(6) Giardia cysts originating from Swiss cattle ("bovine isolates"). In 4 of these animals the course of infection was examined. After prepatent periods of 7-8 days all calves excreted high numbers of Giardia cysts for 60-112 days. During patency on 44% of the examination days Giardia cysts and antigen could be detected simultaneously in faecal samples using the flotation method and a sandwich-ELISA, respectively. With the exception of light diarrhoea lasting only for some days at the beginning of patency no other symptoms occurred. Further 5 artificially infected calves were submitted to autopsy. Giardia trophozoites were detected in 4 calves in the jejunum and in 1 animal in the ileum (peroxidase-antiperoxidase method). All animals were simultaneously infected with Campylobacter spp. and/or Rota- and Corona-virus. Electronmicroscopically mucosal attachment sites of Giardia trophozoites had intact microvilli and enterocytes. In various parts of the intestine blunting and flattening of the villi and cellular infiltrations of the mucosa were present. These alterations in calves are generally associated with bacterial and/or viral infections of calves. A Swiss bovine Giardia cyst-isolate was transmitted to 4 Giardia-free conventionally maintained lambs which excreted Giardia cysts after prepatent periods of 10-21 days for 31-61 days.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Detection of Giardia lamblia cysts in stool samples by immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibody.

The diagnostic potential of indirect immunofluorescence to detect Giardia cysts in stool samples using a cyst-specific anti-Giardia lamblia monoclonal antibody was evaluated in comparison to conventional light microscopy. One hundred fifty specimens from clinically suspected Giardia infections and 50 control samples from microscopically proved Giardia infections were tested. Giardia cysts were found in 15 of 150 (10%) samples tested by light microscopy, whereas immunofluorescence microscopy detected 35 of 150 (23%) positive samples. Forty-six of the 50 reference samples previously shown to contain Giardia cysts were positive. Apparently, the four discrepant samples contained very low numbers of parasites, as none could be detected by conventional microscopy. The results show that Giardia lamblia cysts are detected significantly more frequently using the antibody marker. The doubled number of positive stool specimens and detection of as little as four cysts per sample suggest that microscopical examination of samples can be improved by immunofluorescent staining of Giardia lamblia cysts.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Comparison of leukocytes obtained from the intestinal lumen of Giardia-infected immunocompetent mice and nude mice.

Previous studies have suggested that Giardia infections are cleared immunologically, but have not defined the mechanism of clearance. The aim of the present work was to compare subpopulations of leukocytes harvested from the intestinal lumen of immunocompetent BALB/c mice, which clear Giardia muris infection rapidly, with those of immunodeficient nude mice, which become chronically infected with Giardia muris. Leukocytes were obtained from the intestinal lumen of Giardia-infected mice, and subpopulations of these cells were quantified after immunofluorescent staining with monoclonal antibodies. Identical numbers of leukocytes were harvested from the intestinal lumen of Giardia-infected immunocompetent mice and nude mice, but the number of these leukocytes bearing the T-lymphocyte antigen Thy-1.2 was smaller in nude mice than in immunocompetent mice. In contrast, no striking differences were observed between the numbers of luminal cytotoxic/suppressor T lymphocytes or macrophages in Giardia-infected nude versus immunocompetent mice. The findings suggest that clearance of Giardia muris infection is not mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes or macrophages. Subsequently, T lymphocytes and T-lymphocyte subsets were quantified in cell suspensions prepared from Peyer's patches of immunocompetent BALB/c mice and nude mice. It was found that nude mice have a profound deficiency of Peyer's patch helper/inducer T lymphocytes. This deficiency may account for the inability of nude mice to clear Giardia muris infection at a normal rate.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A field and laboratory evaluation of a commercial ELISA for the detection of Giardia coproantigens in humans and dogs.

A capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (CELISA) was evaluated for its ability to detect Giardia coproantigens in the faeces of humans and dogs in the Perth metropolitan area and Aboriginal communities in Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. Using zinc sulphate flotation and light microscopy, Giardia cysts and/or trophozoites were observed in 8 of 57 (14%) human stool samples from Perth and 21 of 55 (38%) stool samples from Fitzroy Crossing, after 2 separate examinations. Analysis of diagnostic sensitivity using the ELISA revealed that coproantigens were detected in all 29 human samples (100%) in which Giardia cysts and/or trophozoites were also present. Coproantigens were detected in one further sample from Perth and in 3 samples from Fitzroy Crossing in which no Giardia cyst or trophozoite was observed. The specificity of the test, as defined using Fitzroy Crossing samples free from Giardia, was 91%. The assay did not cross-react with Giardia-free stool samples containing Hymenolepis nana, Entamoeba coli, E. hartmanni, Chilomastix mesnili or Ancylostoma duodenale. Giardia cysts and/or trophozoites were also observed in 11 of 32 dog faecal samples (34%) in Perth and 11 of 29 dog samples (38%) in Fitzroy Crossing, after one zinc sulphate examination. The sensitivity of the ELISA for dogs was 64% and 55% for Perth and Fitzroy Crossing specimens respectively. The specificity was 95% when Fitzroy Crossing samples were used. Other parasites observed in Giardia-free faecal samples from dogs which did not produce a positive reaction with the kit were Ancylostoma caninum, Sarcocystis sp. and Isospora sp.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Free radical detoxification in Giardia duodenalis.

Non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels were used to analyse superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, peroxidase, NADH oxidase and NADH peroxidase in the microaerophilic protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis. A cytosolic H2O-producing NADH oxidase and membrane-associated NADH peroxidase were readily detected from G. duodenalis. In all Giardia strains investigated the NADH oxidase was present in high levels (1.2-2 U (mg protein)-1). Using the same technique, NADH oxidase activity was also detected in the microaerophilic protozoan parasites Tritrichomonas foetus, Trichomonas vaginalis and Entamoeba histolytica and in the bacterium Escherichia coli. The conventional enzymes of oxidative stress management (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) were not detected in particulate or cytosolic extracts from recent and established strains of Giardia assayed in situ. Spectrophotometric assays also yielded negative results. The same methodology readily detected one or more of these enzyme activities in T. foetus, T. vaginalis and E. coli. Superoxide dismutase activity was not detected in lines of Giardia resistant to high levels of metronidazole or furazolidone. Furthermore, the agents 1,10 phenanthroline, diamide, MnCl2 and KNO3, which induce SOD in anaerobically cultured E. coli, did not induce SOD in Giardia. 1,10 phenanthroline has also been shown to induce iron-containing (Fe-) SOD in Entamoeba. Neither peroxidase nor catalase activities were detected in a peroxide-resistant line of Giardia. Viable trophozoites from parent lines were able to decompose H2O2 at a significant rate. It appears that the conventional SOD, catalase and peroxidase utilised in aerobic metabolism have been substituted in Giardia by NADH oxidase and NADH peroxidase, similar to anaerobic bacteria. The O2-scavenging NADH oxidase explains the previously observed futile 'respiration' in Giardia.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Role of alcohol dehydrogenase E (ADHE) in the energy metabolism of Giardia lamblia.

Two hammerhead ribozymes flanked by Giardia lamblia alcohol dehydrogenase E (ADHE) antisense RNA fragments, ARzS and ARzL, were designed, synthesized and found capable of cleaving an ADHE mRNA fragment at the anticipated position in vitro. The ribozymes were then electroporated into Giardia trophozoites and expressed via the giardiavirus-mediated RNA expression system. Expression of the ribozyme with two short antisense arms, ARzS, was stabilized under puromycin selection and demonstrated a 33% reduction in ADHE mRNA and 25% decrease in NAD+-dependent ADH activity in the transfectants. Expression of ARzL, the ribozyme with two long antisense arms, cannot be enriched under puromycin without killing the transfected cells, probably due to excessive depletion of ADHE. Without the drug selection, however, transient expression of ARzL 20-40 h after electroporation resulted in an 83.7% loss of ADHE mRNA and an 84.5% reduction in ADH activity in the transfected cells. When the ribozyme moiety was removed from ARzL, the latter retained some of its in vivo activity of lowering ADHE mRNA and ADH activity, suggesting that inhibition of ADHE gene expression in Giardia can be accomplished by the antisense RNA alone, albeit less efficiently. The ADHE deficient transfectant demonstrated relatively poorer anaerobic growth but grew more vigorously than the wild type under aerobic conditions, suggesting that the role of ADHE in providing NAD+ through anaerobic reduction of acetyl-CoA to ethanol could be replaced by a yet unidentified aerobic enzyme(s) in Giardia. The close association consistently observed between the levels of ADHE mRNA and ADH activity in transfected Giardia cells suggests that ADHE could be the only functional alcohol dehydrogenase in Giaradia. One other Giardia gene encoding a putative Class III ADH, GIADH3, was identified and cloned, but no Class III ADH activity could be detected in Giardia by the conventional enzyme assays. This gene is thus probably unexpressed in Giardia trophozoite.

Aerobiosis↗

PubMed1988

Illness and reservoirs associated with Giardia lamblia infection in rural Egypt: the case against treatment in developing world environments of high endemicity.

A longitudinal investigation of the health effects and reservoirs of Giardia was undertaken during 1984-1985 in 40 households located in the rural Nile Delta region of Egypt. Stool specimens obtained once weekly for six months from 2-4-year-old children were cyst- or trophozoite-positive in 42% of the 724 examined. Only one child remained Giardia-negative during the study. The mean duration of excretion in Giardia-positive children was seven and one-half weeks with a range of one to 17 weeks. Mucus was present in 52% of all stools collected, and fecal leukocytes were observed with surprising frequency in the absence of identifiable pathogens. Clinical symptoms of illness were frequently observed within a month before or after Giardia excretion in stool of children, but a statistical inference of association was not demonstrated. Seventeen per cent of 697 specimens obtained from their mothers were Giardia-positive for a mean duration of four weeks and a range of one to 18 weeks. A total of 962 specimens were collected from 13 species of household livestock. Giardia was detected in 22 specimens from cows, goats, sheep, and one duck. Giardia cysts were detected in three of 899 samples of household drinking water. The ubiquity of the protozoan as well as the failure to show an association between infection and symptomatic illness argue against the administration of Giardia-specific drugs to children in settings where the risk of reinfection is high and for whom intestinal insults are both varied and constant.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Immunologic response to infection with Giardia lamblia in children: effect of different clinical settings.

Infection with Giardia lamblia varies in both its severity and duration. A high incidence of giardiasis in immunoglobulin-deficient individuals suggests a role for the humoral immune response in resistance to Giardia infection. Levels of specific anti-Giardia antibodies were determined in three populations of children infected with the parasite: in children attending a day-care centre in which strict hygiene measures were practised and in whom all Giardia infections were asymptomatic; in a rural population residing under poor hygienic conditions in close proximity to farm animals in which children with Giardia-associated diarrhoeal episodes were studied; and in Bedouin infants followed from birth and in whom a previous study has shown that Giardia infection is almost universal by the age of 2 years. In day-care children, infection was accompanied by a significant increase in anti-Giardia IgM levels, compatible with an initial exposure to the parasite. In populations in which exposure to the parasite occurs at an early age and the prevalence of infestation is high, the pattern of specific antibodies to the parasite is rather uniform and cannot differentiate between current infection and previous exposure. Thus, other immune parameters such as salivary or urinary secretory IgA, which reflect the intestinal IgA response, should be studied in order to delineate further the humoral immune response to Giardia.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Giardia intestinalis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Giardia intestinalis (syn. duodenalis or lamblia) is one of the most common intestinal parasites in the world, with an estimated 2.8 x 10(6) infections per year in humans, and it contributes to diarrhea and nutritional deficiencies in children in developing regions. The wide prevalence of Giardia and its unique place in evolutionary biology have led to ongoing research. RECENT FINDINGS: Research into the basic biology of Giardia has highlighted some of its unique properties as an 'early-branching' eukaryote. Although Giardia do not contain mitochondria, they have developed pathways to perform some mitochondrial functions. Investigations into encystation and excystation have identified new gene products that are important in cyst wall formation, and signal transduction events that occur during excystation. The ability to transfect Giardia stably will lead to an improved understanding of its development and metabolism. Molecular typing of G. intestinalis isolates indicates that most animal parasites are not associated with human infection. Insights into immunology have helped define the role of IL-6 in the early control of murine giardiasis, and the contributions of IgA in controlling infection. Further studies of giardiasis in poorly nourished children in developing regions supports an important contributing role of Giardia in stunting and cognitive impairment. Finally, new diagnostic assays using antigen detection are being evaluated and a new agent, nitazoxanide, has been approved in the USA for the treatment of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in children. SUMMARY: Research into the biology of Giardia should increase knowledge about protist differentiation and will complement studies in other biological systems. Continued study of the role of Giardia in chronic diarrhea and malnutrition in developing regions will help focus strategies to improve childhood growth and nutrition.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Prevalence of Giardia lamblia infection in household dogs.

A total of 1035 household dogs were examined for the presence of Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) in their feces. Fecal samples from 151 (14.6%) of the dogs were positive for Giardia. The protozoan was more often detected in soft feces (26.4%) than in normal (10.0%) or diarrheic feces (13.7%) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The forms of the organisms obtained from the 151 dogs were cysts (77.5%), trophozoites (9.9%), or both cysts and trophozoites (12.6%). Dogs kept indoors had a higher prevalence (18.5%) of Giardia than dogs kept outdoors (4.8%) (p < 0.001). Giardia infection was also more prevalent in 1-6 months old puppies (21.7%) compared to other groups (2.4%-7.5%) (p < 0.001). The prevalence of Giardia in dogs originally purchased from pet shops or breeding kennels was extremely high (21.5%) compared to that of dogs from individual households (4.3%) (p < 0.001). With regard to human public health, the high infection rate of Giardia in puppies and dogs kept indoors is a serious problem because G. lamblia in infected dogs may have zoonotic potential. No reports of human giardiasis transmitted from dogs have been made. However, the results of this study suggest that the risk of Giardia transmission from household dogs to humans is not negligible. Pet owners should be taught appropriate hygiene measures to prevent Giardia transmission from dogs to humans.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

How Giardia swim and divide.

To determine how binuclear giardia swim, we used video microscopy to observe trophozoites of Giardia intestinalis, which were labeled with an amino-specific Alexa Fluor dye that highlighted the flagella and adherence disc. Giardia swam forward by means of the synchronous beating of anterior, posterolateral, and ventral flagella in the plane of the ventral disc, while caudal flagella swam in a plane perpendicular to the disc. Giardia turned in the plane of the disc by means of a rudder-like motion of its tail, which was constant rather than beating. To determine how giardia divide, we used three-dimensional confocal microscopy, the same surface label, nuclear stains, and antitubulin antibodies. Giardia divided with mirror-image symmetry in the plane of the adherence disc, so that the right nucleus of the mother became the left nucleus of the daughter. Pairs of nuclei were tethered together by microtubules which surrounded nuclei and prevented mother or daughter giardia from receiving two copies of the same nucleus. New adherence discs formed upon a spiral backbone of microtubules, which had a clockwise rotation when viewed from the ventral surface. These dynamic observations of the parasite begin to reveal how giardia swim and divide.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Evaluation of a new monoclonal antibody combination reagent for direct fluorescence detection of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in human fecal specimens.

Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum can cause severe symptoms in humans, particularly in the immunologically compromised. Monoclonal antibody reagents offer increased sensitivity and an excellent alternative to conventional staining methods. These reagents are helpful when screening large numbers of patients or those with minimal symptoms. Problems of false-positive and false-negative results with routine staining methods for stool parasites can be eliminated with monoclonal antibody reagents. Known positive formalinized specimens [Giardia sp. (n = 60), Cryptosporidium sp. (n = 55), and mixed Giardia-Cryptosporidium spp. (n = 10)] and negative formalinized specimens (n = 105), of which 46 contained other yeast or human cells or protozoa), were tested by the MERIFLUOR Cryptosporidium-Giardia direct immunofluorescence detection procedure. The MERIFLUOR reagent exhibited +/- to 4+ (majority, 2+ to 3+) on all Giardia cysts and 2+ to 4+ (majority, 3+ to 4+) on all Cryptosporidium oocysts. The cysts were generally oval (11 to 15 microns), while the oocysts were round (4 to 6 microns); both showed apple-green fluorescence against a background free of nonspecific fluorescence. All specimens positive for Giardia sp. and/or Cryptosporidium sp. showed fluorescence, and all specimens negative for the two organisms showed no fluorescence. There were eight specimens previously negative by the ova and parasite examination which were positive by the direct fluorescence method; four contained Giardia sp., and four contained Cryptosporidium sp. These positive results were confirmed after the examination of additional trichrome and modified acid-fast smears. The MERIFLUOR reagent was very easy to use, and even with a lower fluorescence intensity for Giardia sp. cysts, no false-negative or false-positive results among the specimens tested for either organism were found.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Attachment of Giardia lamblia trophozoites to a cultured human intestinal cell line.

Attachment of Giardia lamblia trophozoites to enterocytes is essential for colonisation of the small intestine and is considered a prerequisite for giardia induced enterocyte damage. The precise mechanisms involved are still being debated and some earlier work has been performed in models of uncertain biological relevance. In this study, co-incubation of giardia with enterocyte-like differentiated Caco-2 cells was used as a model to study the influence of physical and chemical factors on attachment. Giardia attachment was maximal between one and eight hours and stable over pH 7.2-8.2 but it was reduced by acidification. Attachment was dependent on temperature and was maximal at 37 degrees and virtually abolished at 4 degrees C. It was reduced compared with controls (p < 0.05) by EDTA 2.5 mM (mean (SEM) 32 (4)%), colchicine 12.5 microM (35 (5)%), mebendazole 10 micrograms/ml (30 (3)%), and cytochalasin B 1 microgram/ml (34 (3)%). Giardia attachment was also diminished by preincubation with mannose 50 mM or mannose-6-phosphate 35 mM (21 (4); 17 (5)%) or by preincubating Caco-2 cells with concanavalin A 100 micrograms/ml (19 (2)%). Enhanced binding was not evident after trypsinisation of trophozoites. Scanning electron microscopy showed that giardia seemed to attach to the Caco-2 monolayer predominantly by its ventral surface but dorsal orientation was also observed. No difference in attachment was observed between three different giardia isolates or a parent isolate and its clone. Attachment of giardia to Caco-2 cells is primarily by cytoskeletal mechanisms, inhibitable by interference with contractile filaments and microtubules, while attachment by mannose binding lectin also seems to mediate binding.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Efficacy of Giardia vaccination in the treatment of giardiasis in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To assess efficacy of Giardia vaccination as a treatment for giardiasis in experimentally infected cats. DESIGN: Original study. ANIMALS: 16 young-adult cats. PROCEDURE: Cats were experimentally infected by orogastric administration of Giardia cysts. On weeks 4, 6, and 10, cats in the treatment group (n = 8) were given Giardia vaccine SC. For the first 28 weeks after infection, 3 fecal samples from each cat were examined weekly for Giardia cysts, and cyst numbers were counted. Fecal consistency was scored daily for the duration of the study. Results from vaccinated and unvaccinated cats were compared by logistic regression. RESULTS: All cats became infected and were shedding Giardia cysts by the end of week 2. Throughout the study, diarrhea was rare and was mild and transient when it did occur. By week 28, 5 of 8 vaccinated cats and 7 of 8 control cats had patent Giardia infections. Magnitude of infection, based on number of fecal samples with cysts and number of cysts per sample, decreased progressively in both groups over time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of 3 doses of a Giardia vaccine did not completely eliminate the organism from experimentally infected cats in the study period. Since clinical signs were minimal in both groups of cats, it could not be determined whether vaccination lessened severity of clinical disease. Results may have been negatively influenced by the large inoculation dose. Whether Giardia vaccination is an effective treatment for giardiasis in naturally infected cats remains to be determined.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Factors associated with the likelihood of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in soil from dairy farms.

A study was conducted to identify factors associated with the likelihood of detecting Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in the soil of dairy farms in a watershed area. A total of 37 farms were visited, and 782 soil samples were collected from targeted areas on these farms. The samples were analyzed for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, Giardia spp. cysts, percent moisture content, and pH. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with the likelihood of the presence of these organisms. The use of the land at the sampling site was associated with the likelihood of environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium spp. Barn cleaner equipment area and agricultural fields were associated with increased likelihood of environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium spp. The risk of environmental contamination decreased with the pH of the soil and with the score of the potential likelihood of Cryptosporidium spp. The size of the sampling site, as determined by the sampling design, in square feet, was associated nonlinearly with the risk of detecting Cryptosporidium spp. The likelihood of the Giardia cyst in the soil increased with the prevalence of Giardia spp. in animals (i.e., 18 to 39%). As the size of the farm increased, there was decreased risk of Giardia spp. in the soil, and sampling sites which were covered with brush or bare soil showed a decrease in likelihood of detecting Giardia spp. when compared to land which had managed grass. The number of cattle on the farm less than 6 mo of age was negatively associated with the risk of detecting Giardia spp. in the soil, and the percent moisture content was positively associated with the risk of detecting Giardia spp. Our study showed that these two protozoan exist in dairy farm soil at different rates, and this risk could be modified by manipulating the pH of the soil.

Agriculture↗

PubMed1996

Morphological and molecular characterization of Giardia isolated from the straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) in Western Australia.

Following the first report of avian Giardia infection in Australia, isolates of the parasite recovered from naturally infected straw-necked ibis (Theskiornis spinicollis) were characterized using median body morphology, scanning electron microscopy, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) analyses. Results were compared with Giardia from other birds and mammals, and the extent of genetic diversity between a range of ibis isolates collected in Western Australia was determined. The ibis isolates of Giardia were genetically relatively homogeneous, which is in contrast to the extensive genetic heterogeneity often displayed by mammalian Giardia isolates. Morphologically, Giardia from ibis were similar to Giardia ardeae although they differed genetically and by the fact that the ibis isolates could not be established in in vitro culture. Sequence data of the DNA coding for the SSU-rRNA found a 96% homology between the ibis isolates from Western Australia and G. ardeae, suggesting that they represent distinct strains of the same species. In contrast, the ibis isolates were genetically and morphologically very different than Giardia duodenalis and Giardia muris from mammals.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Evaluation of fenbendazole for treatment of Giardia infection in cats concurrently infected with Cryptosporidium parvum.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fenbendazole effectively eliminates Giardia organisms from chronically infected cats that have a concurrent Cryptosporidium parvum infection. ANIMALS: 16 clinically normal cats. PROCEDURE: Eight cats with chronic concurrent Giardia and C parvum infections received fenbendazole (50 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) for 5 days (treatment-group cats). Feces from each cat were collected and processed 3 days weekly for 23 days after treatment. By use of an immunofluorescent assay for detection of Giardia lamblia cysts and C parvum oocysts, organism numbers were counted and scored. Fecal results from treatment-group cats were compared with those of 8 untreated cats with Giardia infection but no C parvum infection (control-group cats). RESULTS: Four of 8 treatment-group cats had consistently negative results for Giardia infection after treatment. These 4 cats had consistently positive results for C parvum oocysts prior to treatment and consistently negative results after treatment. One treatment-group cat had positive results for cysts on all fecal samples, and 3 treatment-group cats had 1 to 3 negative results and then resumed shedding large numbers of cysts; each of these cats had consistently positive results for C parvum oocysts. When compared with control-group cats, treatment-group cats shed less Giardia cysts during week 1 after treatment but not during week 2. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Administration of fenbendazole decreases Giardia cyst shedding to less than detectable numbers in some cats. In our study, persistent C parvum infection may have been associated with failure of fenbendazole to eliminate Giardia infection.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Evaluation of four enzyme immunoassays for the detection of Giardia lamblia antigen in stool specimens.

Four enzyme immunoassays for the detection of Giardia lamblia antigen in stool specimens were evaluated: the ProSpecT Giardia Microplate Assay (Alexon, USA), the Giardia CELISA (Cellabs, Australia), the DSL-Giardia-ELISA (DSL. Germany), and the Melotest Giardiasis Ag (Melotec, Spain). Microscopic examination and enzyme immunoassays were performed on 168 stool specimens collected from 168 patients suspected to have giardiasis. All assays were easy to perform. The ProSpecT Giardia assay had the highest sensitivity of the assays evaluated (91%), and its interpretation was the easiest. The sensitivity of the three other assays ranged from 63 to 81%. The ProSpecT Giardia assay can be useful to detect Giardia lamblia and may replace microscopic examination in areas of high endemicity.

Animals↗