Prevalence and genetic diversity of in pet dogs from Zhengzhou, central China and the association between gut microbiota and fecal characteristics during infection.

As a common zoonotic intestinal parasite, could infect humans and various mammals worldwide, including pet dogs, leading to giardiasis. This study detected the infection of in asymptomatic pet dogs in Zhengzhou, and evaluated the possibility of zoonosis and the relationship between gut microbiota and fecal characteristics. We randomly collected 448 fresh fecal samples from Zhengzhou, and was screened based on the beta-giardin (), glutamate dehydrogenase (), and triose phosphate isomerase () genes. The difference of gut microbiota between five s-positive and five -negative samples was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The overall prevalence of was 7.1% (32/448) based on , , and locus, two assemblages (C = 13, D = 14) and five (15.6%) mixed infection (C + D) were identified. Moreover, compared with the -negative group, the diversity of gut microbiota increased in -positive group. The decrease of spp. and considerable increase of spp. were associated with the fecal characteristics. These results show that the transmission of zoonotic giardiasis between humans and pet dogs is rare in Zhengzhou, central China, and support the use of spp. as a potential probiotic agent to improve intestinal health in dogs, or even humans, by treating s. Therefore, the public health significance of to humans, companion animals, and the environment should be further evaluated from One Health perspective.