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Identification of genotypes of Giardia intestinalis of human isolates in Egypt

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Abstract

In Egypt, the genotyping study of Giardia intestinalis in human is limited. To determine the prevalence of G. intestinalis, faecal samples were collected from Egypt. Samples were concentrated using density gradient centrifugation. The samples were subjected to PCR and DNA sequence analysis for TPI gene. Prevalence of Giardia infection was 34.6% of 52 examined. DNA sequence showed that the Assemblage B was the most prevalent (80%) genotype, the 15% of the positive samples belonged to Assemblage E, and the 5% of them belonged to Assemblage A. Certainly, both genotypes A and B are highly common in human worldwide. However, up to now, Assemblage E had not been known to be infectious for humans. Therefore, this is the first time that Assemblage E is reported in human. However, further analyses of a second locus are required to confirm this result. The extent to which Giardia-infected cattle in Egypt might pose a risk of human infection is unknown.

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Acknowledgements

Studies funded by Projects No. SAF2006-09278 of the Ministry of Education and Science, Madrid, and by the Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales—RICET (Projects No. RD06 0021/0005, C03/04-1 and No. ISCIII2005-PI050574 of the Programa de Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa) of the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS), Ministry of Health, Madrid, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n 8203, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

    P. Foronda, N. Abreu-Acosta & B. Valladares

  2. Department of Parasitology, University of Valencia, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ave. Vicent Andres Estelles S-N, E-46100, Valencia, Spain

    M. D. Bargues, M. V. Periago, M. A. Valero & S. Mas-Coma

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  1. P. Foronda
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  2. M. D. Bargues
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  3. N. Abreu-Acosta
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  4. M. V. Periago
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  5. M. A. Valero
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  6. B. Valladares
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Correspondence to P. Foronda.

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Foronda, P., Bargues, M.D., Abreu-Acosta, N. et al. Identification of genotypes of Giardia intestinalis of human isolates in Egypt. Parasitol Res 103, 1177–1181 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1113-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-008-1113-2

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