Molecular characteristics and zoonotic potential of enteric protists in domestic dogs and cats in Egypt

Abstract

The overall prevalence rates of <i>Cryptosporidium</i> spp. and <i>G. duodenalis</i> were 1.8% (95% CI: 0.5-4.6) and 38.5% (95% CI: 32.0-45.3), respectively, in dogs, and 6.0% (95% CI: 2.6-11.4) and 32.1% (95% CI: 24.3-40.7), respectively, in cats. All canine and feline fecal samples analyzed tested negative for <i>E. bieneusi</i> and <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. Dogs from Giza governorate and cats from Dakahlia governorate were at higher risk of infection by <i>Cryptosporidium</i> spp. (<i>p</i> = 0.0006) and <i>G. duodenalis</i> (<i>p</i> = 0.00001), respectively. Sequence analyses identified host-adapted <i>Cryptosporidium canis</i> (<i>n</i> = 4, one of them belonging to novel subtype XXe2) and <i>G. duodenalis</i> assemblages C (<i>n</i> = 1) and D (<i>n</i> = 3) in dogs. In cats the zoonotic <i>C. parvum</i> (<i>n</i> = 5) was more prevalent than host-adapted <i>C. felis</i> (<i>n</i> = 1). Household dogs had a limited (but not negligible) role as source of human giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis, but the unexpected high frequency of zoonotic <i>C. parvum</i> in domestic cats might be a public health concern. This is the first molecular-based description of <i>Cryptosporidium</i> spp. infections in cats in the African continent to date. Molecular epidemiological data provided here can assist health authorities and policy makers in designing and implementing effective campaigns to minimize the transmission of enteric protists in Egypt.