Giardiasis: Serum antibodies and coproantigens in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada, West Indies

Research (Published online: 12-03-2018)

6. Giardiasis: Serum antibodies and coproantigens in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada, West Indies

Keshaw Tiwari, Camille Coomansingh Springer, Alfred Chikweto, Josephine Tang, Yvette Sepulveda, Amanda Leigh Smith, Nia Rametta and Ravindra Nath Sharma

Veterinary World, 11(3): 293-296

Keshaw Tiwari: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Camille Coomansingh Springer: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Alfred Chikweto: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Josephine Tang: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Yvette Sepulveda: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Amanda Leigh Smith: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Nia Rametta: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

Ravindra Nath Sharma: Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, Grenada, West Indies.

doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.293-296

Share this article on [Facebook] [LinkedIn]

Article history: Received: 08-12-2017, Accepted: 05-02-2018, Published online: 12-03-2018

Corresponding author: Ravindra Nath Sharma

E-mail: rsharma@sgu.edu

Citation: Tiwari K, Springer CC, Chikweto A, Tang J, Sepulveda Y, Smith AL, Rametta N, Sharma RN (2018) Giardiasis: Serum antibodies and coproantigens in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from Grenada, West Indies, Veterinary World, 11(3): 293-296.

Abstract

Aim: Giardia is a serious zoonotic parasite, which causes diarrheal disease in humans and animals including rodents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Giardia spp. in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Grenada.

Materials and Methods: Intestinal contents from 99 and serum samples from 169 brown rats (R. norvegicus) from Grenada were collected. These samples were examined for the Giardia coproantigens using Cryptosporidium/Giardia Quik Chek assay (Tech lab^® Inc., USA), and the serum was screened through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit for Giardia antibody (anti-GD) ELISA kit (MyBioSource, San Diego, CA, USA).

Results: Giardia coproantigens were positive in 17.17% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 10.33-26.06%) rats, whereas 55% (95% CI: 47.20-62.68) were positive with serum antibodies (anti-GD) to Giardia.

Conclusion: The prevalence of Giardia spp. in brown rats in Grenada was moderate based on the presence of coproantigens in the intestinal contents and antibody in serum. The findings of Giardia infections and prevalence in brown rats will help veterinarians and physicians to better plan diagnostic and preventative strategies. This is the first report of prevalence of Giardia in brown rats in Grenada.

Keywords: antibody, brown rat, coproantigens, Giardia, Grenada.

References

1. Adam, R.D. (2001) Biology of Giardia lamblia. Clin. Microb. Rev., 14: 447-475. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]

2. Flanagan, P.A. (1992) Giardia-diagnosis, clinical course and epidemiology. A review. Epidemiol. Infect., 109: 1-22. [PubMed] [PMC]

3. Bajer, A., Bednarska, M., Pawelczyk, A., Behnke, J.M., Gilibert, F.S. and Sinski, E. (2002) Prevelance and abundance of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia spp. in wild rural rodents from the Mazuri lake District region of Poland. Parasitology, 125: 21-34. [Crossref] [PubMed]

4. el-Wahed, M.M.A., Salem, G.H. and el-Assaly, T.M. (1999) The role of wild rats as a reservoir of some internal parasites in Qalyobia governorate. J. Egypt Soc. Parasitol., 29: 495-503.

5. Foubert, G. (2000) Immune response to Giardia duodenalis. Clin. Microb. Rev., 13: 35-54. [Crossref]

6. Al-Bashan, M.M. and Sabra, S.M. (2012) Prevalence of some enteric parasites in rats at Taif governate with special reference to associated pathogenic bacteria. Afr. J. Microb. Res., 6: 3431-3439.

7. Perek-Matysiak, A., Bunkowska-Gawlik, K., Zalesny, G. and Hildebrand, J. (2015) Small rodents as reservoirs of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in South-Western Poland. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med., 22: 1-5. [Crossref] [PubMed]

8. Beyhan, Y.E. and Hokelek, M. (2014) Giardia infection in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) and treatment with metronidazole. Turkiye Parazitol. Derg., 38: 181-184. [Crossref] [PubMed]

9. Martin, F.H. (1986) Antibody response to Giardia muris trophozoites in mouse intestine. Infect. Immun., 52: 568-571.

10. Glenn, I.D. (2002) "Determination of Sample Size" Fact Sheet PEOD-6, a Series of the Program Evaluation and Organization Development, Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute 2002.

11. Pirre, B., Peter, D. and Daniel, H. (2011) Age, season, and spatiotemporal factors affecting the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis and Taenia taeniformis in Arvicola terrestris. Parasit. Vectors, 4: 6. [Crossref] [PubMed] [PMC]

12. Panti-May, J.A., Hernandez-Betancourt, S., Ruiz-Pina, H. and Medina-Peralta, S. (2012) Abundance and population parameters of commercial rodents present in rural households in Yucatan, Mexico. Int. Biodeterior. Biodegrad., 66: 77-81. [Crossref]

13. Zeinab, S., Bahador, S., Mohammad, H.M., Qasem, A., Mohammad, J.R. and Samaneh, A.K. (2016) Protozoan parasites of rodents and their zoonotic significance in Boyer-Ahmad District, Southwestern, Iran. Vet. Med. Int., 2016. Article ID: 32638, 68, 5.

14. Zhao, Z., Wang, R., Zhao, W. and Qi, M. (2015) Genotyping and subtyping of Giardia and Cryptosporidium isolates from commensal rodent in China. Parasitology, 142: 800-806. [Crossref] [PubMed]

15. Marino, M.R., Brown, T.J., Waddington, D.C., Brockie, R.E. and Kelly, P.J. (1992) Giardia intestinalis in North Island possums, house mice and ship rats. N. Zeal. Vet. J., 40: 24-27. [Crossref] [PubMed]

16. Chilvers, B.L., Cowan, P.E., Waddington, D.C., Kelly, P.J. and Brown, T.J. (1998) The prevalence of infection of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in wild animals on farm land, South-Eastern North Island. Int. J. Environ. Health Res., 8: 59-64. [Crossref]

17. Kilonzo, C., Xunde, L., Vivas, E.J., Ray-Russel, M.T., Fernandez, K.L. and Atwill, A.R. (2013) Fecal shedding of zoonotic food-borne pathogens by wild rodents in a major agricultural region of the central California Coast. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 79: 6337-6344. [Crossref]