Giardia sp. Cysts and Infectious Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts in the Feces of Migratory Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)

• Main Authors: Graczyk, Thaddeus K., Fayer, Ronald, Trout, James M., Lewis, Earl J., Farley, C. Austin, Sulaiman, Irshad, Lal, Altaf A.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: American Society for Microbiology 1998
• Subjects: Environmental and Public Health Microbiology; Canada; Branta canadensis
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC106456; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9647860

Fecal droppings of migratory Canada geese, Branta canadensis, collected from nine sites near the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland), were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia spp. Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts were found in feces at seven of nine sites, and Giardia cysts were found at all nine sites. The oocysts from three sites were infectious for mice and molecularly identified as the zoonotic genotype of Cryptosporidium parvum. Waterfowl can disseminate infectious C. parvum oocysts in the environment.