Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos
Giardia intestinalis is a globally distributed protist whose epidemiology appears to be more complex than previously assumed. Recent studies suggest that it frequently asymptomatically colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals, yet its transmission dynamics remain poorly unders...
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | One Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771425002125 |
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| author | Kristýna Brožová Anna Šejnohová Monika Koutenská Zuzana Pavlíčková Milan Jirků Eliška Zimmelová Oldřiška Kadlecová Klára J. Petrželková Kateřina Jirků |
| author_facet | Kristýna Brožová Anna Šejnohová Monika Koutenská Zuzana Pavlíčková Milan Jirků Eliška Zimmelová Oldřiška Kadlecová Klára J. Petrželková Kateřina Jirků |
| author_sort | Kristýna Brožová |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Giardia intestinalis is a globally distributed protist whose epidemiology appears to be more complex than previously assumed. Recent studies suggest that it frequently asymptomatically colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals, yet its transmission dynamics remain poorly understood—particularly in shared environments involving close human–animal contact. Adopting a One Health perspective, this study investigated the occurrence of G. intestinalis in captive non-human primates (NHPs) and their caregivers across six zoological gardens in the Czech Republic, with a particular focus on the potential for zoonotic transmission. A total of 179 fecal samples (159 from 37 NHP species and 20 from caregivers) were analyzed using qPCR. Giardia was detected in 47 % of NHPs and 30 % of caregivers. Assemblage B was the most frequently identified genotype; however, genotyping was challenging in samples with low fecal protist load, limiting the ability to accurately assess transmission pathways. These findings reveal a high prevalence of G. intestinalis in zoo environments and underscore the importance of improved genotyping tools and further research into its transmission across species boundaries in human-managed settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e285c4f4b24418798648b7dc112f1f6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2352-7714 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | One Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e285c4f4b24418798648b7dc112f1f62025-08-23T04:48:42ZengElsevierOne Health2352-77142025-12-012110117610.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101176Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoosKristýna Brožová0Anna Šejnohová1Monika Koutenská2Zuzana Pavlíčková3Milan Jirků4Eliška Zimmelová5Oldřiška Kadlecová6Klára J. Petrželková7Kateřina Jirků8Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Corresponding author at: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 603 65 Brno, Czech RepublicInstitute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, the Czech Academy of Sciences, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech RepublicGiardia intestinalis is a globally distributed protist whose epidemiology appears to be more complex than previously assumed. Recent studies suggest that it frequently asymptomatically colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and animals, yet its transmission dynamics remain poorly understood—particularly in shared environments involving close human–animal contact. Adopting a One Health perspective, this study investigated the occurrence of G. intestinalis in captive non-human primates (NHPs) and their caregivers across six zoological gardens in the Czech Republic, with a particular focus on the potential for zoonotic transmission. A total of 179 fecal samples (159 from 37 NHP species and 20 from caregivers) were analyzed using qPCR. Giardia was detected in 47 % of NHPs and 30 % of caregivers. Assemblage B was the most frequently identified genotype; however, genotyping was challenging in samples with low fecal protist load, limiting the ability to accurately assess transmission pathways. These findings reveal a high prevalence of G. intestinalis in zoo environments and underscore the importance of improved genotyping tools and further research into its transmission across species boundaries in human-managed settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771425002125Giardia intestinalisIntestinal protistNon-human primatesCaregiversZoological gardensPrevalence |
| spellingShingle | Kristýna Brožová Anna Šejnohová Monika Koutenská Zuzana Pavlíčková Milan Jirků Eliška Zimmelová Oldřiška Kadlecová Klára J. Petrželková Kateřina Jirků Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos One Health Giardia intestinalis Intestinal protist Non-human primates Caregivers Zoological gardens Prevalence |
| title | Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos |
| title_full | Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos |
| title_fullStr | Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos |
| title_short | Epidemiology of Giardia intestinalis in non-human primates and their caregivers: A study from Czech zoos |
| title_sort | epidemiology of giardia intestinalis in non human primates and their caregivers a study from czech zoos |
| topic | Giardia intestinalis Intestinal protist Non-human primates Caregivers Zoological gardens Prevalence |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771425002125 |
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