Hsu, Chia HuiChia HuiHsuLiang, ChiChiLiangChi, Shi ChienShi ChienChiLee, Kuan JuKuan JuLeeCHUNG-HSI CHOUCHEN-SI LINWEN-YUAN YANG2023-12-072023-12-072023-11-012076-2615https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85176805891&doi=10.3390%2fani13213373&partnerID=40&md5=277976ba8248a917c4e7643ec5cc416bhttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/637596Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are enteric protozoan pathogens in humans. and animals. Companion animals infected with zoonotic species/assemblages are a matter of major public concern around the world. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalences of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis infections and their co-infection statuses in dogs and cats living in Taiwan and to identify the species and assemblages. Fecal samples were collected from local animal shelters (n = 285) and a veterinary hospital (n = 108). Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the SSU-rRNA, β-giardin, and glutamate dehydrogenase genes for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis, respectively. Results showed that the overall prevalences of Cryptosporidium and G. duodenalis were 7.38% (29/393) and 10.69% (42/393). In addition, co-infection was detected in 1.02% (4/393) of all samples. Sample source, clinical sign, and breed may be risk factors that influence the infection rate. In Cryptosporidium-positive samples, C. canis and C. felis were detected most frequently. Although the canine-specific assemblages C and D (37/42) were dominant, the zoonotic human-specific assemblage A (1/42) was also found in Giardia-positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most positive samples belonged to host-specific subtypes/assemblages, while some Cryptosporidium or Giardia-positive samples could be zoonotic. The findings suggested that pet animals could be a cause of zoonotic transmission, causing human cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in Taiwan.enassemblages | Cryptosporidium | Giardia duodenalis | glutamate dehydrogenase | molecular epidemiology | nested polymerase chain reaction | SSU-rRNA | zoonoses | β-giardinjournal article10.3390/ani13213373379581282-s2.0-85176805891https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85176805891