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Abstract
Birds infected with Giardia may constitute a potential avenue for cross‐species transmission of giardiasis, especially during seasonal migration of infected birds from wetland habitats. We have investigated the potential for cross‐species transmission of avian Giardia species (Giardia ardeae from the great blue heron; Giardia psittaci from budgerigars) into unrelated avian hosts (chicks and ducklings) as well as established mammalian models for giardiasis, the Mongolian jird (gerbil) and the neonatal mouse. Avian Giardia species could not be transmitted to either young chicks, ducklings, or mammalian hosts; however, the transmission of G.psittaci to its natural host, the budgerigar, was successfully performed with either trophozoites or cysts. Attempts at transmission of mammalian Giardia spp. into avian hosts were consistently unsuccessful, although mammalian hosts were successfully infected with mammalian Giardia spp.. Experiments on the short term survival of cultured Giardia trophozoites inoculated directly into intestinal loops of avian or mammalian hosts indicated that viable Giardia trophozoites could be recovered from the intestinal environment of either host for up to 6 h postinoculation, but not at 24 h. Collectively, these results would suggest that birds should not be considered as likely potential vectors for the spread of mammalian Giardia from one watershed to another, and that avian Giardia may not be transmitted to mammalian hosts.
Notes
To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Cell Biology and Neuroanatomy, 4–135 Jackson Hall, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA