Abstract
Giardia intestinalis is a common diarrheagenic parasite infecting children globally. It has been classified into eight morphologically identical but genetically distinct genotypes. Human infection is mainly associated with A and B assemblages with variable geographical distribution. The present work aimed to study the epidemiology of assemblages A and B in children inhabiting different areas in Lower Egypt. Stool samples were collected from 315 children and examined microscopically for parasitic infections. Giardia positive samples were genotyped using tpi assemblage specific primers. The prevalence of Giardia was 18.1% among the examined children. Mixed assemblages A and B was more common (47.4%) than single assemblage B (36.8%) or A (15.8%). The distribution of different genotypes was significantly associated with the residence area, animal contact, and handwashing habits. A non-significant association was observed between Giardia assemblages and the clinical manifestations. Assemblage B is the predominant genotype among Egyptian children. The distribution of different Giardia assemblages is strongly associated with the studied area and the habits of its people.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the screened children and their parents for giving consent to participate in the study. They also thank colleagues at the Parasitology Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Egypt for their excellent technical assistance.
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The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Medical Research Institute (MRI), Alexandria University (IORG 0008812). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.
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Elhadad, H., Abdo, S., Tolba, M. et al. Detection of Giardia intestinalis assemblages A and B among children from three villages in the West Delta region, Egypt using assemblage specific primers. J Parasit Dis 45, 655–663 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-020-01338-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-020-01338-x