Molecular investigation of Giardia spp. in buffaloes

• Grant number: 18/13505-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Katia Denise Saraiva Bresciani
• Grantee: Gabriely Vicente Campos
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Giardiasis is a disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Giardia duodenalis, intestinal parasite of animals and humans. The potential of buffalo as reservoirs of G. duodenalis is still not well established, so to understand the epidemiology of the disease in these animals and their role in the zoonotic transmission of protozoan genotypes, further studies should be carried out. With the objective to perform the molecular investigation of G. duodenalis in buffalo calves on farms in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, fecal samples of 100 animals of Murrah race, up to one year old, will be collected directly from the rectal ampulla and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to amplify the minor subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene. Positive samples for this gene will be subjected to the partial amplification of beta-giardin, glutamate dehydrogenase and triosephosphate isomerase genes. Data analysis will be based on descriptive and inferential statistics, using Fisher's Exact Test to verify the association between the occurrence of Giardia and each of the studied variables. The statistics will be considered significant when P <0.05.