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. 1996 Sep 1;37(3):337–341. doi: 10.1186/BF03548099

First Record of Giardia in Cattle in Denmark

Giardia observeret for første gang hos kvæg i Danmark

T Iburg 111, RB Gasser 211,311, SA Henriksen 111,✉
PMCID: PMC8064006  PMID: 8996878

Abstract

Faecal samples from asymptomatic dairy cows and calves from a farm on the Island Falster, Denmark, were examined by a sucrose gradient flotation technique. Giardia cysts were found in 7.6% of the 92 samples, and estimated cyst excretion rates ranged from 50-200 cysts per gram faeces. Given that Giardia has the potential to cause clinical disease in cattle and to be transmitted to other animal species and humans, finding the parasite in cattle may be of major epidemiological significance. Future work should focus on elucidating the pathogenicity, transmission patterns and the genetic structure of Giardia populations in cattle in Denmark.

Keywords: parasites, protozoa, ruminants, zoonotic potential.

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Acknowledgment

Support from the Danish Research Academy (DAN- VIS no. D930061) is gratefully acknowledged (RBG).

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