AUTHOR=Elmahallawy Ehab Kotb , Gareh Ahmed , Abu-Okail Akram , Köster Pamela C. , Dashti Alejandro , Asseri Jamal , Gouda Asmaa Aboelabbas , Mubaraki Murad A. , Mohamed Sara Abdel-Aal , Mohamed Yasser M. , Hassan Ehssan Ahmed , Elgendy Mohamed , Hernández-Castro Carolina , Bailo Begoña , González-Barrio David , Xiao Lihua , Carmena David 

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1229151

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2023.1229151

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Domestic dogs and cats can be a source of human infection by a wide diversity of zoonotic pathogens including parasites. Genotyping and subtyping tools are useful in assessing the true public health relevance of canine and feline infections by these pathogens. This study investigated the occurrence, genetic diversity, and zoonotic potential of common diarrhea-causing enteric protist parasites in household dogs and cats in Egypt, a country where this information is particularly scarce.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In this prospective, cross-sectional study a total of 352 individual fecal samples were collected from dogs (<italic>n</italic> = 218) and cats (<italic>n</italic> = 134) in three Egyptian governorates (Dakahlia, Gharbeya, and Giza) during July–December 2021. Detection and identification of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp., <italic>Giardia duodenalis</italic>, <italic>Enterocytozoon bieneusi</italic>, and <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. were carried out by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Basic epidemiological variables (geographical origin, sex, age, and breed) were examined for association with occurrence of infection by enteric protists.</p></sec><sec><title>Results and discussion</title><p>The overall prevalence rates of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. and <italic>G. duodenalis</italic> 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 <italic>E. bieneusi</italic> and <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. Dogs from Giza governorate and cats from Dakahlia governorate were at higher risk of infection by <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> spp. (<italic>p</italic> = 0.0006) and <italic>G. duodenalis</italic> (<italic>p</italic> = 0.00001), respectively. Sequence analyses identified host-adapted <italic>Cryptosporidium canis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 4, one of them belonging to novel subtype XXe2) and <italic>G. duodenalis</italic> assemblages C (<italic>n</italic> = 1) and D (<italic>n</italic> = 3) in dogs. In cats the zoonotic <italic>C. parvum</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 5) was more prevalent than host-adapted <italic>C. felis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 1). Household dogs had a limited (but not negligible) role as source of human giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis, but the unexpected high frequency of zoonotic <italic>C. parvum</italic> in domestic cats might be a public health concern. This is the first molecular-based description of <italic>Cryptosporidium</italic> 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.</p></sec>