High prevalence of giardia detected in cats by PCR

Microscopy, PCR and a Giardia CELISA test were used to determine the prevalence of Giardia in 40 faecal samples obtained from domestic cats in the Perth metropolitan area. A prevalence of 5, 80 and 60% was found by the tests, respectively. The results show that more sensitive techniques such as PCR may be necessary, and may yield more reliable results, in the detection of low levels of Giardia in domestic cats

Gastrointestinal parasites of domestic cats in Perth, Western Australia

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in a sample of domestic cats in Perth and the knowledge of their owners about the control and potential for zoonotic transmission of these parasites. Faecal samples (418), collected from cats originating from five sources, were examined by microscopy and questionnaires administered to cat owners. Forty randomly selected samples were also screened using PCR in order to detect cysts of Giardia and oocysts of Cryptosporidium that may have been present in a faecal sample at very low levels. The overall prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in domestic cats by microscopy was 8.6%. Pet shop kittens had the highest parasite prevalence (34.3%), followed by cats and kittens from breeding establishments (15.8%), refuge cats and kittens (8.3%), privately owned cats (2.3%), and boarding cats and kittens (1.6%). Surprisingly, 80% of the 40 cats tested by PCR were positive for Giardia duodenalis and 10% for Cryptosporidium. None of these cats were positive on microscopy. After adjusting for other factors with multiple logistic regression, kittens less than 6 months of age, and cats living in households with more than one cat or with a dog were significantly more likely to be parasitised. In the logistic regression model, the presence of parasitism was also significantly influenced by the number of anthelmintic doses administered in the 12 month period prior to the study. The majority (64.5%) of cat owners were aware that feline parasites could be transmitted to humans, however less than half (42.8%) were aware of the modes of transmission to humans

Freqüência de parasitos gastrintestinais em cães e gatos atendidos em hospital-escola veterinário da cidade de São Paulo Frequency of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs and cats referred to a veterinary school hospital in the city of São Paulo

<abstract language="eng">Fecal samples from 1755 dogs and 327 cats were examined for the presence of helminths and protozoan forms. From the total samples, 486 (27.7%) dogs and 103 (31.5%) cats presented at least one parasite. The main genus of parasite in dogs were Ancylostoma (12.7%), Giardia (8.5%), Cystoisosopora (4.4%), Toxocara (2.6%), and Cryptosporidium (2.4%). The ocurrence of Ancylostoma was associated to male dogs, older than one year, while Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Cystoisospora and Toxocara were associated to dogs younger than one year (P<0.05). Among cats, the most frequent parasites were Cryptosporidium (11.3%), Giardia (8.3%), Cystoisosopora (8.3%), Toxocara (6.1%), and Ancylostoma (2.1%). Cryptosporidium and Cystoisosopora were more prevalent in cats younger than one year (P < 0.05)

Russell and Rubinstein's Pathology of Tumors of the Nervous System. Sixth Edition

An increasing number of parasites are being added to the list of those that can be transmitted via food or water and that pose a risk to human health if ingested. These zoonotic infections usually have complicated life cycles requiring a number of hosts for completion or a diversity of cycles of transmission that may interact. The challenge in all control efforts is to break the cycle of transmission that may lead to human infection, which requires the ability to detect and characterize the relevant parasite life cycle stage in food or water. This requires tools that are both sensitive and specific, and often beyond the limitations of conventional techniques such as microscopy