Occurrence and Multi-Locus Genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in Bamaxiang Pigs in Bama Yao Autonomous County of Guangxi Province, China.

BACKGROUND

Giardia duodenalis is one of the most prevalent protozoan pathogens, commonly infecting a wide range of hosts including humans, livestock, companion animals, and wildlife globally. The Bamaxiang pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), a native livestock variety from China's Guangxi region, holds significant importance in Bama Yao Autonomous County. This breed not only supports regional meat production systems but also fulfills dual roles as human companions and valuable subjects for biomedical investigations. The aim of present study was to investigate the prevalence of G. duodenalis and assess its genetic characteristics. A total of 311 fresh fecal samples were collected from three farms in Bama Yao Autonomous County. The presence and genetic diversity of G. duodenalis were determined by nested PCR and sequence analysis of the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), β-giardin (bg) and triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) genes.

RESULTS

The total occurrence rate of G. duodenalis in Bamaxiang Pigs was 17.36% (54/311). Among different age groups, suckling piglets exhibited the highest infection rate at 24.29% (17/70). The infection rates in the sows, fattening pigs, and weaned piglets were 20.88% (19/91), 14.10% (11/78), and 9.72% (7/72), respectively (p < 0.05). Phylogenetic analysis of sequences from three genetic loci identified two G.duodenalis genetic assemblages, namely assemblages A and E. Among them, assemblage A (n = 31) was the predominant genotype across the three farms, followed by the assemblage E (n = 21) and mixed assemblage A/E (n = 2) infections.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents the first report demonstrating that G. duodenalis infection is prevalent in Bamaxiang pigs, with variable positivity rates across different growth stages. The zoonotic assemblage A was the predominant assemblage, suggesting a potential risk of transmission to humans through close contact with this specific pig breed. The results provide basic data for controlling infections in Bamaxiang pigs.