Molecular evidence for zoonotic transmission of Giardia duodenalis among dairy farm workers in West Bengal, India

No study in the past has examined the genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of Giardia duodenalis in dairy cattle in India. To assess the importance of these animals as a source of human G. duodenalis infections and determine the epidemiology of bovine giardiasis in India, fecal samples from 180 calves, heifers and adults and 51 dairy farm workers on two dairy farms in West Bengal, India were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis of the β-giardin gene of G. duodenalis followed by DNA sequencing of the nested PCR products. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis in cattle was 12.2% (22/180), the infection being more prevalent in younger calves than in adult cattle. Zoonotic G. duodenalis Assemblage A1 was identified in both calves and workers although the most prevalent genotype detected in cattle was a novel Assemblage E subgenotype. These findings clearly suggest that there is a potential risk of zoonotic transmission of G. duodenalis infections between cattle and humans on dairy farms in India.