Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jan 12;5(1):110-115.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2016.01.002. eCollection 2016 Apr.

Confirmation of a unique species of Giardia, parasitic in the quenda (Isoodon obesulus)

Alison Hillman  1 , Amanda Ash  1 , Aileen Elliot  1 , Alan Lymbery  1 , Catherine Perez  1 , R C Andrew Thompson  1
Affiliations

Confirmation of a unique species of Giardia, parasitic in the quenda (Isoodon obesulus)

Alison Hillman et al. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. .

Abstract

The 'quenda genotype' of Giardia was first identified in quenda (syn. southern brown bandicoots, Isoodon obesulus) in Western Australia in 2004. We aimed to formally describe this genotype as a species of Giardia, Giardia peramelis. Seventy five faecal samples positive for G. peramelis were obtained from quenda within the Statistical Division of Perth, Western Australia. These samples were used in morphological and molecular characterisation of G. peramelis. PCR amplification and sequencing was most successful at the 18S rRNA and ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 loci. Phylogenetic analyses placed G. peramelis external to the 'Giardia duodenalis species complex' and Giardia microti. This confirmed the uniqueness of G. peramelis, warranting classification as a separate species of Giardia. Study findings suggest quenda are a natural host for G. peramelis.

Keywords: Bandicoot; G. peramelis; Giardia; Marsupial; Parasite; Quenda.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cyst of Giardia peramelis-light microscopy.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cysts of Giardia peramelis-immunofluorescence microscopy.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic relationships of Giardia peramelis isolates obtained in this study (quenda QBN13, QM22, QBY95) with published reference material available at the 18s rRNA locus. Evolutionary history inferred using the neighbour-joining method supported with bootstrap test of 1000 replicates (values > 50% shown). G. muris is used as the out group.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Phylogenetic relationships of Giardia peramelis isolates obtained in this study (quenda QBN13, QM22, QBY95) with published reference material available at the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 locus. Evolutionary history inferred using the neighbour-joining method supported with bootstrap test of 1000 replicates (values > 50% shown). G. muris is used as the out group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adams P.J., Monis P.T., Elliot A.D., Thompson R.C.A. Cyst morphology and sequence analysis of the small subunit rDNA and ef1α identifies a novel Giardia genotype in a quenda (Isoodon obesulus) from Western Australia. Infect. Genet. Evol. 2004;4:365–370. - PubMed
    1. Brooks D.R., Hoberg E.P. Triage for the biosphere: the need and rationale for taxonomic inventories and phylogenetic studies of parasites. Comp. Parasitol. 2000;67:1–25.
    1. Caccio S.M., Beck R., Almeida A., Bajer A., Pozio E. Identification of Giardia species and Giardia duodenalis assemblages by sequence analysis of the 5.8 S rDNA gene and internal transcribed spacers. Parasitology. 2010;137:919–925. - PubMed
    1. Caccio S.M., Ryan U. Molecular epidemiology of giardiasis. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 2008;160:75–80. - PubMed
    1. Hopkins R.M., Meloni B.P., Groth D.M., Wetherall J.D., Reynoldson J.A., Thompson R.C.A. Ribosomal RNA sequencing reveals differences between theC. genotypes of Giardia isolates recovered from humans and dogs living in the same locality. J. Parasitol. 1997;83:44–51. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources