GGenetic characterization of Giardia duodenalis from samples of dogs and cats treated at the Veterinary Hospital of FMVZ-Botucatu

• Grant number: 22/11804-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Daniel de Barros
• Grantee: Leonardo Garcia Bornal
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Giardiasis is a zoonosis caused by the protozoan of the genus Giardia duodenalis, and being considered a neglected disease. The disease courses with gastroenteric alterations and is common in developing countries due to precarious basic sanitation conditions. Domestic animals can act as reservoirs of zoonotic genotypes in the urban environment, contributing to a greater disease distribution. In this way, the evaluation of the genotypes that infect dogs and cats becomes necessary for a better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease. The current project aims to determine the assemblages that are present in stool samples from dogs and cats sent for diagnosis of giardiasis in a Veterinary Hospital. Stool samples from dogs and cats sent for coproparasitological examinations will be used through the non-probabilistic convenience sampling method, where only positive samples in the zinc sulfate fluctuation test will be used for genetic characterization. The cysts will be submitted to DNA extraction and later to the assemblage determination using the nested-PCR technique for the ²-giardin gene followed by the PCR-RFLP enzymatic digestion.