Occurrence and genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. in household, shelter, breeding, and pet market dogs in Guangzhou, southern China

Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. are common intestinal protozoans that infect humans and animals worldwide. A survey that assessed the prevalence, molecular characteristics, and zoonotic potential of these pathogens was conducted on a variety of dogs in Guangzhou, southern China. A total of 651 canine stool samples from household (n = 199), shelter (n = 149), breeding (n = 237), and pet market dogs (n = 66) were collected from eight districts in Guangzhou. Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. were detected by PCR amplification of the SSU rRNA gene. Giardia duodenalis-positive specimens were further assigned into assemblages using the glutamate dehydrogenase gene. Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. were found in 21 (3.2%), 20 (3.1%), and 35 (5.4%) samples, respectively. The overall prevalence of shelter dogs (40.28%, 60/149) was significantly higher than that of household (3.0%, 6/199), breeding (2.1%, 5/237), and pet market dogs (7.5%, 5/66) (χ(2) = 154.72, df = 3, P < 0.001). Deworming in the past 12 months had a strong protective effect on the risk of contracting parasite infections (P < 0.001). No significant differences were detected between age or sex groups (P > 0.05). Dog-specific C. canis (n = 19) and zoonotic C. parvum (n = 2) were the only two Cryptosporidium species. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of three G. duodenalis assemblages: dog-specific assemblages D (n = 14) and C (n = 5), and cat-specific F (n = 1). Zoonotic Blastocystis ST3 (n = 28) was the dominant subtype, followed by ST1 (n = 6) and ST10 (n = 1). To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale investigation on the occurrence and molecular characteristics of Blastocystis sp. in dogs in China. Our results indicated that the dogs seemed to play a negligible role as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis transmission to humans, but they are potential novel suitable hosts of Blastocystis sp. A strict sentinel surveillance system of dogs should be established to minimise the zoonotic risk of spreading blastocystosis among humans and dogs.