Prevalence of Zoonotic Giardia duodenalis Assemblage B and First Identification of Assemblage E in Rabbit Fecal Samples Isolates from Central China

Giardia duodenalis is an important zoonotic pathogen, causes diarrhea in humans and animals worldwide. To date, few data are available on the prevalence of G. duodenalis in rabbits in China. In total, 955 fecal samples were collected from rabbits during 2008-2011 in Henan Province, Central China. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis was 8.4% (80/955) on microscopic analysis, with the highest infection rate (11.3%) in rabbits aged 91-200d. All G. duodenalis-positive isolates were characterized at the small subunit ribosomal RNA, -giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), and triosephosphate isomerase genes. Two assemblages and a mixed assemblage were detected in the rabbits: assemblage B (n=26), assemblage E (n=2), and a mixed assemblage of B and E (n=4). Assemblage B isolates showed variability at the nucleotide sequences belonging to the so-called subtype BIV, based on analysis of multiple genes. This is the first report of G. duodenalis assemblage E in rabbits, and one novel subtype of assemblage E was identified through sequence analysis of gdh and bg genes, respectively. Our data suggest that rabbits may be reservoirs of G. duodenalis cysts potentially infectious to humans.