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Giardia is a major public health concern and considered as reemerging in industrialized countries. The present study investigated the prevalence of giardiosis in 202 sheltered dogs using PCR. The infection rate was 33.2% (67/202); Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daejeon showed 25.7% (39/152, P<0.0001) and 56% (28/50), respectively. The prevalence of infected female dogs (46.7%, P<0.001) was higher than in male dogs (21.8%). A higher prevalence (43.5%, P<0.0001) was observed in mixed breed dogs than purebred (14.1%). Although most of the fecal samples collected were from dogs of =1 year of age which showed only 27.4% positive rate, 61.8% (P<0.001) of the total samples collected from young animals (<1 year of age) were positive for G. intestinalis. A significantly higher prevalence in symptomatic dogs (60.8%, P<0.0001) was observed than in asymptomatic dogs (23.8%). Furthermore, the analysis of nucleotide sequences of the samples revealed that G. intestinalis Assemblages A and C were found in the feces of dogs from Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daejeon. Since G. intestinalis Assemblage A has been known to infect humans, our results suggest that dogs can act as an important reservoir of giardiosis in Korea. Hence, hygienic management should be given to prevent possible transmission to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii and Bartonella (B.) henselae infection among stray cats in Daejeon City, Korea was surveyed. A total of seven samples were positive (7/118, 5.93%) for T. gondii including three samples from female cats (3/58, 5.2%) and four samples from male cats (4/60, 6.7%). There was no significant difference between the genders. A total 22 samples (22/118, 18.6%) were positive for B. henselae; nine were from females and 13 were from males. There was no significant difference between genders. Nineteen samples had a titer of 1 : 50, two samples had a titer of 1 : 100, and one sample had a titer of 1 : 200. The present study is the first to use serological tests to analyze B. henselae prevalence among stray cats in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]