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Rabbits as reservoirs: An updated perspective of the zoonotic risk from Cryptosporidium and Giardia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Rabbits as reservoirs: An updated perspective of the zoonotic risk from Cryptosporidium and Giardia

Siobhon Egan, Amanda D Barbosa, Yaoyu Feng, Lihua Xiao and Una Ryan
Veterinary parasitology, Vol.327, 110151
2024
PMID: 38422710
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Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

Cryptosporidium Rabbits Giardia Cryptosporidium cuniculus Zoonoses
Rabbits are highly abundant in many countries and can serve as reservoirs of diseases for a diversity of pathogens including the enteric protozoan parasites, Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Both parasites shed environmentally robust environmental stages (oo/cysts) and have been responsible for numerous waterborne outbreaks of diseases. Cryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum are responsible for most infections in humans, while Giardia duodenalis assemblages A and B, cause most human cases of giardiasis. Cryptosporidium cuniculus, the dominant species infecting rabbits, is the only spceies other than C. hominis and C. parvum to have caused a waterborne outbreak of gastritis, which occurred in the United Kingdom in 2008. This review examines the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia species in rabbits to better understand the public health risks of contamination of water sources with Cryptosporidium and Giardia oo/cysts from rabbits. Despite the abundance of C. cuniculus in rabbits, reports in humans are relatively rare, with the exception of the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and reports of C. cuniculus in humans from the United Kingdom have declined substantially since the 2008 outbreak. Subtyping of C. cuniculus has supported the potential for zoonotic transmission. Relatively few studies have been conducted on Giardia, but assemblage B dominates. However, improved typing methods are required to better understand the transmission dynamics of Giardia assemblages in rabbits. Similarly, it is not well understood if pet rabbits or contaminated water are the main source of C. cuniculus infections in humans. Well-planned studies using high-resolution typing tools are required to understand the transmission dynamics better and quantify the public health risk of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from rabbits.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.246 Diarrheal Diseases
1.246.985 Cryptosporidium
Web Of Science research areas
Parasitology
Veterinary Sciences
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
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