Giardia and Cryptosporidium as Emerging Infections in Pets

Our pets occupy an increasingly large part of our lives, because there are more of them than ever before and because we have very close contact with them. In such a context, having healthy pets becomes a priority, particularly in relation to their parasites. Notwithstanding decades of research and curative and preventative treatments, of helminth infections in particular, there appears to be a marked increase in the incidence of parasite disease. Another group of parasites is now gaining importance however, either because they are genuinely emerging or because diagnostic methodology is beginning to improve (1). They now represent the group of parasites that are found most frequently. Thus, in our laboratory, in the first half of the year 2008, protozoa were found in 21.2% of the fecal samples from 709 dogs and helminth eggs were found in 5.2% of them. In cats, 18.5% of the samples from 226 cats contained protozoa and 5.3% contained helminths. Unfortunately, the risk this represents to animal and human health cannot be ignored, especially as the prophylactic protocols generally applied do not address these infections at all.

Within this context, two species, Giardia (Figure 1) and Cryptosporidium (Figure 2), deserve particular attention. Laboratory data show their very high prevalence, particularly in young animals. More-over, the treatments are not always well established and their transmission to humans remains poorly characterized. [...]