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Abstract
Giardia spp. is a flagellated protozoan that parasitizes the small intestine of various mammals, birds, and
amphibians, being transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Giardiasis is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases
in both developed and developing countries, with a prevalence of 0,1-5% and 20-30%, respectively, and is
correlated with poor hygiene practices, such as irregular handwashing, which consequently contaminates
food when handled. Cattle and sheep are sources of infection for humans due to the zoonotic potential
of the species that affect them, especially calves, which play an important role in the dissemination of
the parasite in the environment by excreting 106 cysts per gram of feces, contaminating water sources,
which, even when treated, only reduce and do not eliminate the protozoan. This study investigated the
prevalence of Giardia spp. in ruminants in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Between June
2023 and April 2024, 384 fecal samples from young cattle and sheep were analyzed, collected directly from
the rectal ampulla and subjected to coprological tests at the Laboratory, used the zinc sulfate centrifugal
flotation technique to visualize protozoan cysts and calculate their prevalence. The results showed that
19,15% of sheep (27/141), 13,99% of cattle (34/243) and 15.88% in both species (61/384) tested positive
for Giardia spp. This study revealed a significant prevalence of Giardia spp. in young ruminants in the
southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, posing an important zoonotic risk.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Tamires Silva dos Santos, Giulia Ribeiro Meireles, Camila Gonçalves da Silveira, Gabrielle Torres Cotta de Mello, Stanrley Victor Nascimento da Silva, Julia Somavilla Lignon, Natália Soares Martins, Diego Moscarelli Pinto, Felipe Geraldo Pappen