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Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis among children from a central region of Cuba: molecular characterization and associated risk factors

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Abstract

Giardia duodenalis is one of the most frequent intestinal parasitic infections in children worldwide. To date, eight main assemblages of G. duodenalis have been described, but only A and B genetic groups are known to infect humans. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Giardia duodenalis infection in 417 preschool children from the Fomento municipality in the central region of Cuba between January and June 2013. The overall prevalence of Giardia infection was 10.79 %. Assemblage identification was carried out by the amplification of a fragment of the triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) gene. DNA from 36 of 45 (80 %) samples was successfully amplified by PCR-tpi. Assemblage B and mixed assemblages A + B represented 52.78 and 36.11 % respectively, of genotyped samples. Assemblage A accounts for only 11.11 %. Children who were cared for at home were associated with diarrhea caused by assemblage B. No associations were found between other clinical variables with infecting assemblage of Giardia. Univariate analysis identified the use of unsafe water resources (OR 2.9; CI 1.2–6.8) and—even more interestingly—keeping dogs indoor (OR 2.5; CI 1.2–5.4) were significant risk factors associated with Giardia infection among children. Multivariate analysis using introduction test logistic regression ratified the association of these two risk factors: kept dogs indoor (OR 2.8, CI 1.1–5.3), and untreated water (OR 1.4, CI 1.4–4.9) with Giardia infection. This information may be useful for an effective prevention and control programme of giardiasis in this population.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology for all the support in this investigation, especially, Dr. Raquel Junco, as well as the Provincial Centre of Hygiene of Fomento Municipality. This study was in part supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant No. 31003A_138353). We would like to thank Dr. Norbert Müller for the excellent review of this manuscript and support of this work.

Author’s contributions

All authors listed on the manuscript have contributed significantly to the experimental design, its implementation, or analysis and interpretation of the data. Lic. Luis Enrique Jerez (LEJ), Dr. Lázara Rojas (LR) and Dr. Fidel Núñez (FN) designed the study, and LEJ, Dr. Alexey Brito (AB), Téc. Raúl Cordocví (RC) and MVD. Iraís Atencio (IA) carried out the parasitological work on stool samples. FA, and LEJ did the analysis and interpretation of data results, and FA critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology, Tropical Medicine Institute “Pedro Kourí”, Autopista Novia del Mediodía Km 6½ e/Autopista Nacional y Carretera Central, Habana, Cuba

    Luis Jerez Puebla, Fidel A. Núñez, Lázara Rojas Rivero, Irais Atencio Millán & Raúl Cordoví Prado

  2. Provincial Centre of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Sancti Spíritus, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba

    Alexey Brito García

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  1. Luis Jerez Puebla
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  2. Fidel A. Núñez
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  3. Alexey Brito García
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  4. Lázara Rojas Rivero
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  5. Irais Atencio Millán
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  6. Raúl Cordoví Prado
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Correspondence to Luis Jerez Puebla.

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Puebla, L.J., Núñez, F.A., García, A.B. et al. Prevalence of Giardia duodenalis among children from a central region of Cuba: molecular characterization and associated risk factors. J Parasit Dis 41, 405–413 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-016-0816-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-016-0816-z

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