Prevalence of Giardia intestinalis infection in household cats of Tohoku district in Japan

Fecal samples obtained from 600 household cats (244 males and 356 females) kept in 3 prefectures of Tohoku district in Japan were examined for Giardia intestinalis antigen, using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. G. intestinalis antigen was detected in 40% of the fecal specimens. The factors such as the age, life style or environmental condition of cats could be significantly related to the positive rate of G. intestinalis antigen. In contrast, the investigative district, appearance of feces, sex, breed or origin produced no significant difference in the positive rate. The present results suggest that G. intestinalis infection is widely spread in household cats of Tohoku district.