Open AccessGenotyping of Giardia duodenalis in children in upper Egypt using assemblage- specific PCR technique
Author(s) -
Alzahraa Abdelraouf Ahmad,
Asmaa M El-Kady,
Tasneem M. Hassan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0240119
Subject(s) - giardia , genotyping , giardia lamblia , genotype , biology , diarrhea , feces , assemblage (archaeology) , cryptosporidium , polymerase chain reaction , virology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , genetics , gene , ecology , pathology
Giardia duodenalis is a common gastrointestinal protozoan parasite, causing diarrheal illness in humans worldwide. Yet, the distribution of G . duodenalis genotypes among human patients and their clinical relevance remains controversial. This study aimed to detect G . duodenalis in children in Upper Egypt and identify causative genotypes and elucidate a possible correlation between genotype and clinical presentation. One hundred sixty-five children, regardless of symptoms, were tested for giardiasis. Giardia positive stool samples (40/165) were subjected to PCR amplification targeting the tpi gene with positive PCR results in only 35 cases (87.5%). Assemblage-specific amplification of genotypes (A, B, and the zoonotic E strains) revealed predominantly G . duodenalis Assemblage A (45.7%). Assemblage B and mixed A and B infections were detected in 31.4% and 22.8% of children, respectively. Assemblage E was not detected. G . duodenalis assemblage A was dominant in children who complained of diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In contrast, asymptomatic children with positive stool samples display a higher frequency of assemblage B and mixed infections. The study highlights the predominance of Giardia Assemblage A in our study locality. This study is the first for this endemic area to use the copro-PCR technique for diagnosis and genotyping of giardiasis. Study results show the value of simple species-specific primers for genotyping in communities with little access to laboratory resources. Further genetic studies are needed to clarify the association between parasite genetic diversity and patient symptomatology.