Prevalence and genotyping of Giardia duodenalis among Arabian horses in Ahvaz, southwest of Iran

Giardia duodenalis is globally recognized as an important zoonotic intestinal protozoan parasite. So far, eight assemblages of G. duodenalis (A-H) have been identified. Substantial evidence suggests the zoonotic potential of assemblages A, B, and E in livestock. In this study, the genotype of Giardia duodenalis isolates was genetically identified by determining the sequence of ssu-rRNA gene and performing polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) on glutamate dehydrogenase gene of the parasite in Arabian horses from Ahvaz, located in southwest of Iran. The results revealed that assemblages AI and E (livestock-associated G. duodenalis) were present in horse isolates. Also, based on the findings, prevalence of G. duodenalis infection among horses was estimated at 35.7%. The results indicated that G. duodenalis is highly prevalent among Arabian horses, posing a zoonotic risk for giardiasis in Ahvaz, Iran.