Frequency of Giardia spp. and
Cryptosporidium spp. in
Domestic and Captive Wild Animals in the North of Veracruz, Mexico
Alarcón-Zapata, Marco
Antonio1,
Romero-Salas, Dora2
*, Chaparro-Gutiérrez, Jenny Jovana3,
González-Hernández, Milagros4,
Ojeda-Chi, Maribel Melina1
and Serrano-Solís
Arturo1
1Universidad
Veracruzana. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias Región
Tuxpan. Carretera Tuxpan-Tampico km 7.5, Tuxpan, Veracruz, México.
C. P. 92870
2Universidad
Veracruzana. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia,
Laboratorio de Parasitología, Unidad de Diagnóstico, Rancho Torreón
del Molino. Carretera Federal Veracruz-Xalapa km 14.5, Col. Valente
Diaz, Veracruz, México. C. P. 91697
3Universidad
de Antioquía, UdeA, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Grupo de
Investigación CIBAV, carrera 75 #65-87, bloque 46, oficina 225,
Medellín, Colombia
4Universidad
Autónoma de San Luis Potosí. Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria.
Carretera SLP-Matehuala km 14.5, SLP, México. CP. 78321
*Corresponding author:
dromero@uv.mx
Abstract
Giardia
spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. are cosmopolitan parasites that infect
humans as well as domestic and wild animals. Worldwide, they affect several
species of wild animals, mostly mammals. In recent years, reports of wild
species have increased, indicating that they play an important role in the
spread of these parasites. In Mexico, these parasites have been reported mainly
in humans and domestic animals, with no reports in wildlife. In the north of
Veracruz, there are conservation areas where various species of native and
exotic wildlife cohabit; these sites are closed to cattle farms and used for
recreation and tourism, with a potential risk of transmission. Our objective was
to determine the frequencies of both parasites in wild animals that inhabit a
protected area in northern Veracruz, Mexico. Overall,17 animal species
were surveyed, 12 wild and 5 domestic ones, from which 99 individual fresh feces
samples were collected and kept frozen until processing. The oocyst
concentration technique and the direct immunofluorescence test with a commercial
kit were employed. In all host species analyzed, positive samples were found. In
wild animals, the general frequency of Giardia spp. was 89.3%, whereas
that of Cryptosporidium spp. was 94.6%. In domestic animals, the
frequencies were 79.0% and 67.4% for Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium
spp. respectively. This is the first study that reports the frequencies of
these protozoans in captive wild and domestic animals in the north of Veracruz,
Mexico. We conclude that Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. are
frequent parasites in wild and domestic animals in the study area; furthermore,
four species (Connochaetes taurinus, Equus burchelli, Anser anser, and
Trachemys scripta) have not yet been described as hosts for Giardia
spp.Further molecular studies are needed to allow the identification of
genotypes and their potential transmission among species.
To Cite This Article:
Alarcón-Zapata,
Antonio M, Romero-Salas, Dora, Chaparro-Gutiérrez, Jovana J, González-Hernández,
Milagros, Ojeda-Chi, Melina M and Serrano-Solís Arturo, 2023. Frequency of Giardia spp. and
Cryptosporidium spp. in domestic and captive wild animals in the north of
Veracruz, Mexico. Pak Vet J, 43(4): 814-818. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2023.102