Veterinary World

Keshaw Tiwari ¹, Camille Coomansingh Springer ¹, Alfred Chikweto ¹, Josephine Tang ¹, Yvette Sepulveda ¹, Amanda Leigh Smith ¹, Nia Rametta ¹, Ravindra Nath Sharma ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, ES

Abstract

Aim: Giardia is a serious zoonotic parasite, which causes diarrheal disease in humans and animals including rodents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Giardia spp. in brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Grenada.

Materials and Methods: Intestinal contents from 99 and serum samples from 169 brown rats (R. norvegicus) from Grenada were collected. These samples were examined for the Giardia coproantigens using Cryptosporidium/Giardia Quik Chek assay (Tech lab® Inc., USA), and the serum was screened through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit for Giardia antibody (anti-GD) ELISA kit (MyBioSource, San Diego, CA, USA).

Results: Giardia coproantigens were positive in 17.17% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 10.33-26.06%) rats, whereas 55% (95% CI: 47.20-62.68) were positive with serum antibodies (anti-GD) to Giardia.

Conclusion: The prevalence of Giardia spp. in brown rats in Grenada was moderate based on the presence of coproantigens in the intestinal contents and antibody in serum. The findings of Giardia infections and prevalence in brown rats will help veterinarians and physicians to better plan diagnostic and preventative strategies. This is the first report of prevalence of Giardia in brown rats in Grenada.

Keywords

Antibody, Brown Rat, Coproantigens, Giardia, Grenada.

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Ravindra Nath Sharma ¹, Romane Dufayet ², Thomas Maufras ², Kathryn O’ Connell ¹, Keshaw Tiwari ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George’s University, Grenada, US
2 Department of Preclinical Studies, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire De Toulouse (DVM Students, on Internship Program at St. George’s University Grenada), FR

Abstract

Aim: Chicken astroviruses (CAstV) are known to cause mild gastroenteritis, growth depression, and even mortality in poultry, especially in chickens, turkeys, and ducks. To the best our knowledge, there is no published information on CAstV in Grenada. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of astrovirus in chickens in Grenada.
Materials and Methods: Blood samples from 366 indigenous chickens and 92 commercial chicken layers were collected from all parishes of the island and tested for antibodies against CAstV using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: The seroprevalence of antibodies against astrovirus was 57.6% (95%, Confidence interval [CI]: 47.4-67.2) in commercial layers and 61.5% (95%, CI: 56.4-66.3) in indigenous chickens. The results show the presence of infection throughout the island.
Conclusion: The results show the infection with CAstV in approximately half of the chicken population in Grenada. This is the first report on the prevalence of CAstV in chickens in Grenada and the Caribbean region.

Keywords

Astrovirus, Chicken Astroviruses, Chickens, Grenada, Seroprevalence.

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