Abstract

is an intestinal microeukaryote with ambiguous pathogenicity, commonly detected in human feces worldwide. It comprises at least 28 genetically diverse subtypes (STs), 12 of which also occur in a wide range of animal species, giving rise to suspicion of zoonotic transmission. To investigate this, we conducted a molecular study of 145 stool samples of pet animals, and 67 of their owners, living in an urban area in Poland. was detected in only three (2.1%) animal samples (of two bearded agamas and a leopard gecko), while all dogs, cats, and pet rodents were -negative. was also present in three (4.5%) owners of animals, but they were cat owners, not reptile owners, and the subtypes identified in them differed significantly from those of reptiles. Additionally, the frequency of in different groups of dogs (depending on how they were kept) was analyzed. This work is the first to find in pet reptiles, and we encourage further investigation of in this poorly examined group of animals, as well as continued study on the transmission of this microorganism between humans and animals.

Cited by

• Marked genetic diversity within in Australian wildlife revealed using a next generation sequencing-phylogenetic approach. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl, 2024
• Molecular subtyping of sp. detected in patients at a large tertiary referral hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. Front Parasitol, 2022
• Prevalence, Subtype Distribution and Zoonotic Significance of sp. Isolates from Poultry, Cattle and Pets in Northern Egypt. Microorganisms, 2022