RT Journal Article
T1 Enhancing diagnostic accuracy: Direct immunofluorescence assay as the gold standard for detecting Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in canine and feline fecal samples
A1 Barrera, Juan P
A1 Miró Corrales, Guadalupe
A1 Carmena, David
A1 Foncubierta, Carlos
A1 Sarquis, Juliana
A1 Estévez Sánchez, Efrén
A1 Bailo, Begoña
A1 Checa Herráiz, Rocío
A1 Montoya Matute, Ana
A1 Marino, Valentina
AB The enteric protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are common cause of diarrhea in pet dogs and cats, affecting primarily young animals. This comparative study evaluates the diagnostic performance of conventional and molecular methods for the detection of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. infection in dogs and cats.The compared diagnostic assays included merthiolate-iodine-formalin (MIF) method, lateral flow immunochromatography rapid test (ICT) and real-time PCR; using direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) as golden standard. The study included the analysis of 328 fecal samples from different dog (n = 225) and cat (n = 103) populations.According to DFA, the overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 24.4% (80/328, 95% CI: 19.8–29.4), varying from 11.6% (12/103, 95% CI: 6.2–19.5) in cats to 30.2% (68/225, 95% CI: 24.3–36.7) in dogs. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 4.0% (13/328, 95% CI: 2.1–6.7), varying from 2.9% (3/103, 95% CI: 0.6–8.3) in cats to 4.4% (10/225, 95% CI: 2.1–8.0) in dogs. MIF was only used for the detection of G. duodenalis, which was identified by this method in 22.7% of dogs and 7.8% of cats, respectively. DFA was the most sensitive technique for detecting G. duodenalis in samples from dogs and cats (p-value: < 0.001), followed by real-time PCR. Identification of Cryptosporidium infections was most effectively accomplished by the combination of DFA and PCR technique (p-value: < 0.001). In addition, epidemiological (sex, age, origin) and clinical (fecal consistency) variables were collected to assess their potential associations with an increased likelihood of infection by G. duodenalis and/or Cryptosporidium spp. Breeder dogs were more likely to harbor G. duodenalis infection (p-value: 0.004), whereas female cats were significantly more infected with Cryptosporidium (p-value: 0.003).In conclusion, DFA (alone or in combination with PCR) has been identified as the most accurate and cost-effective method for detecting G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in fecal samples from pet dogs and cats. This highlights their importance in both veterinary and clinical settings for enabling prompt treatment and preventing potential transmission to humans.
PB Springer Nature
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/108958
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/108958
LA eng
NO Barrera, J.P., Miró, G., Carmena, D. et al. Enhancing diagnostic accuracy: Direct immunofluorescence assay as the gold standard for detecting Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in canine and feline fecal samples. BMC Vet Res 20, 445 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04297-0
NO Instituto de Salud Carlos III (España)
NO Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 12 abr 2025