Giardia infections in Cuban children: the genotypes circulating in a rural population

Abstract Stool samples containing Giardia duodenalis cysts were collected from 95 primary-school children in central Cuba, and preserved by storing at −20°C in 70% ethanol. Clinical data were collected for each child. Although 57% of the children were asymptomatic, the remaining 43% each reported between one and three symptoms. Following cyst quantification and isolation, molecular analyses were attempted on all cyst isolates, with the focus on the parasite's β-giardin and glutamate-dehydrogenase (gdh) genes. Unfortunately, the cyst-preservation procedure appeared to have a deleterious effect on the cysts, since genotyping data could only be obtained for 20 of the 95 isolates. These data indicated, however, an approximately equal distribution between assemblage A (nine isolates) and assemblage B (11 isolates).Children found to be excreting relatively large numbers of cysts were more likely to be symptomatic than children who were excreting fewer cysts, and children with Giardia isolates from assemblage B ...