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PREVALENCE OF GIARDIA IN BEAVER AND MUSKRAT POPULATIONS IN NEW ENGLAND STATES AND MINNESOTA: DETECTION OF INTESTINAL TROPHOZOITES AT NECROPSY PROVIDES GREATER SENSITIVITY THAN DETECTION OF CYSTS IN FECAL SAMPLES
Citation:
Erlandsen, S., L. Sherlock, W. Bemrick, H. Ghobrial, AND W. Jakubowski. PREVALENCE OF GIARDIA IN BEAVER AND MUSKRAT POPULATIONS IN NEW ENGLAND STATES AND MINNESOTA: DETECTION OF INTESTINAL TROPHOZOITES AT NECROPSY PROVIDES GREATER SENSITIVITY THAN DETECTION OF CYSTS IN FECAL SAMPLES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-90/094 (NTIS PB90245358), 1990.
Description:
Surveys on the prevalence of Giardia in animal populations have relied on the detection of cysts in fecal samples. e have determined the prevalence of Giardia in beaver and muskrat in four New England states plus Minnesota using both the detection of trophozoites in mucosal scrapings from live-trapped animals at necropsy, and/or by the detection of cysts in fecal samples collected from kill-trapped animals. n muskrats the prevalence of infection was 36.6% by cyst detection in fecal samples (N=790) from kill-trapped animals while infection was 95.9% in live-trapped muskrats when intestinal contents were analyzed for trophozoites (N=219). imilarly, in beavers, infection was 92% by cyst detection in fecal samples (N=662) from kill-trapped beavers whereas 13.7% of live-trapped animals (N=302) examined for trophozoites were infected. he detection of trophozoites in mucosal scrapings from live-trapped animals consistently yielded significantly higher prevalences for both muskrats and beavers than did detection of cysts in fecal samples. n live-trapped animals, the prevalence of infection in juvenile and adult muskrats was similar (92.5% vs 94.4%, respectively), but juvenile beavers had a prevalence (23.2%) which was significantly greater than that seen in adult animals (12.6%). o difference in prevalence was seen in either species based on sex. egional variation in prevalence was seen in beavers in the New England states and Minnesota, but was not detected with muskrats.
