Abstract
Cryptosporidium and Giardia are recognized as significant etiological agents of diarrheal outbreaks in humans as these parasites may be transmitted through the ingestion of water and food contaminated with feces of human or animal origin. However, surveillance studies on the role of animal reservoirs in the transmission of Cryptosporidium and Giardia are deemed insufficient and the complete dimension of the problem contributing to contamination in an agricultural setting is unknown. This study aimed to assess the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in domesticated animals from selected farms in the agricultural provinces of Laguna and Quezon in Southern Luzon, Philippines. Using immunofluorescence assay, an overall 85.7% incidence of protozoan infection was recorded among the animals (N = 161). Of these, 77.0 and 73.9% were positive for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, respectively. Highest incidence (95.83%) of Cryptosporidium was documented in swine and the highest incidence (89.47%) of Giardia was observed in ruminants. Analyses revealed significant differences in the incidence of the protozoan parasites among animals with different containment status, water source, age group, and sex. On the other hand, farm workers’ knowledge on parasite transmission was negatively correlated (p = 0.001) to parasite incidence. With the scarcity of data about Cryptosporidium and Giardia in farm-raised animals in the Philippines, the information obtained from this study will be vital for protozoan source tracking and further control interventions against Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections.
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Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge the municipal and provincial agricultural offices of Laguna and Quezon, Philippines for the assistance that they extended to the research team, as well as the farm owners and managers who willingly devoted their time to participate in this study.
Funding
This work was funded by the University of the Philippines—Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant (ECWRG-2020-2-29R) and the National Research Council of the Philippines—Department of Science and Technology.
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Vachel Gay V. Paller contributed to the conceptualization, study design, data collection, and data analysis of the study. Jeph Roxy M. Macaraig contributed to the sampling design, data collection, processing, and analysis, and made the necessary coordination with the farm owners and relevant offices prior to data collection activities. David Lester A. Mendoza performed the data collection, laboratory processing, and helped in the data analysis. VG Paller and JR Macaraig drafted and finalized the manuscript.
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The protocol for the collection of animal fecal samples used in this study was approved by the University of the Philippines Los Baños Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (UPLB IACUC) with an approval reference number UPLB-2021–039. On the other hand, research ethics approval for the conduct of the survey interviews with farm operators was obtained from the University of the Philippines Manila Research Ethics Board (UPMREB) with study protocol number 2018–201-01.
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Paller, V.G.V., Mendoza, D.L.A. & Macaraig, J.R.M. Domesticated animal reservoirs of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in agricultural farms in Laguna and Quezon provinces, Philippines. J Parasit Dis (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-024-01685-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-024-01685-z