A natural zoonotic giardiasis: Infection of a child via Giardia cysts in pet chinchilla droppings.

Here, we report a case of direct zoonotic transmission of giardiasis between a pet chinchilla and a human. Microscopic and molecular examinations of stool samples from a child and samples of chinchilla droppings revealed cysts/DNA of Giardia intestinalis. The transmission from the chinchilla to the child has been confirmed as coprophagous after the 1-year-old toddler ingested pet chinchilla droppings. Molecular analysis of the gdh gene from both hosts classified the G. intestinalis cysts into the assemblage B genetic group, which has been previously shown to be characteristic of both human and chinchilla giardiasis. Both Giardia sub-assemblages BIII and BIV were present in the chinchilla droppings, whereas only the sub-assemblage BIV was isolated from the child's stool sample. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a true zoonotic transmission of giardiasis, supporting the zoonotic potential of assemblage B.

The first multilocus genotype analysis of Giardia intestinalis in humans in the Czech Republic.

To date, genotyping data on giardiasis have not been available in the Czech Republic. In this study, we characterized 47 human isolates of Giardia intestinalis from symptomatic as well as asymptomatic giardiasis cases. Genomic DNA from trophozoites was tested by PCR-sequence analysis at three loci (ß-giardin, glutamate dehydrogenase and triose phosphate isomerase). Sequence analysis showed assemblages A and B in 41 (87.2%) and six (12.8%) isolates, respectively. Two of the 41 assemblage A samples were genotyped as sub-assemblage AI, and 39 were genotyped as sub-assemblage AII. Four previously identified multilocus genotypes (MLGs: AI-1, AII-1, AII-4 and AII-9) and six likely novel variations of MLGs were found. In agreement with previous studies, sequences from assemblage B isolates were characterized by a large genetic variability and by the presence of heterogeneous positions, which prevent the definition of MLGs. This study also investigated whether there was a relationship between the assemblage and clinical data (including drug resistance). However, due to the large number of genotypes and the relatively small number of samples, no significant associations with the clinical data were found.

Monepantel: the most studied new anthelmintic drug of recent years.

Monepantel (MOP), a new anthelmintic drug from a group of amino-acetonitrile derivatives, has been intensively studied during last years. Many authors examined this new drug from different perspectives, e.g. efficacy against different species and stages of parasites, mode of action, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, resistance, ecotoxicity, etc. MOP is an anthelmintic for livestock (currently only sheep and goats), with molecular mode of action which is different to all other anthelmintics. MOP has a broad-spectrum of activity against gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep, including adults and L4 larvae of the most important species. The key feature of MOP is its full effectiveness against strains of nematodes resistant to benzimidazoles, levamisole, macrocyclic lactones and closantel. After oral administration, MOP is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and quickly metabolized to MOP sulfone that has a similar efficacy as the parent molecule. Several other MOP metabolites formed in ovine hepatocytes were described. MOP and its metabolites are considered to be non-toxic to environment and its components, such as soil microflora, aquatic organisms, dung organisms, vegetation, etc. The aim of the presented review was not to collect all reported data but to bring an overview of various approaches in the study of MOP and to evaluate their principal results.

Highly sensitive multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection and discrimination of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in canine peripheral blood.

Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are the most common species of filarial nematodes described in the dogs with increasing spread into new geographical areas. The diagnosis of canine dirofilariosis is usually based upon the microscopical detection and identification of circulating microfilariae together with ELISA detection of serum circulating heartworm antigens or antibodies. The identification of the parasite species using the traditional approaches sometimes can be difficult and can lead to misdiagnosis especially on samples from areas where both Dirofilaria are present. In this paper we report a new molecular method based on single-step multiplex PCR to detect and differentiate simultaneously and unequivocally D. immitis and D. repens on DNA extracted from canine peripheral blood. The amplification was performed using a set of primers designed on a portion of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene of the mitochondrion (12S rDNA). The single-step multiplex PCR here described ensured high (4 mf/ml) sensitivity and specificity with reduced cost and time saving. The multiplex PCR assay represents an additional tool for epidemiological studies and routine disease assessment in areas co-endemic for the two Dirofilaria species.