Gastrointestinal parasites and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia sp. in ruminants and other domestic animals in Corsica (France), a Mediterranean island environment.
5 affiliations
- 1ULR 7519 IDEALISS, Collège vétérinaire, Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Rouen, France - Commission Parasitologie SNGTV, Paris, France.
- 2UR 75100 ESCAPE, Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France.
- 3Laboratoires de la Collectivité de Corse (Corse-du-Sud et Haute-Corse), Ajaccio/Bastia, Corsica, France.
- 4GDS Corse, Ajaccio, Corsica, France.
- 5ULR 7519 IDEALISS, Collège vétérinaire, Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, Rouen, France.
Abstract
Corsica is a mountainous French island in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea characterized by a wide diversity of natural environments where many interactions between humans, domestic animals and wild fauna occur. Gastrointestinal parasitism is a major concern for livestock productivity. Among these parasites, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are zoonotic, cosmopolitan protozoa frequently implicated in diarrheal diseases in both young animals and children. Despite an apparent favourable epidemiological context, gastrointestinal parasites remain understudied in Corsica. Between May 2023 and May 2024, 281 faecal samples were collected: 261 pooled ruminant samples (five animals per pool) from goats (n = 121), sheep (n = 117), and cattle (n = 23) across 159 farms and 20 individual samples from horses (n = 14) and pigs (n = 6). Coproscopic analyses detected at least one gastrointestinal parasite in 93% of all samples. Strongyle eggs (91%) and coccidian oocysts (72%) were most prevalent in ruminants. Molecular analyses (including real-time PCR and genotyping) identified Cryptosporidium spp. in 11 samples (3.9%): nine goats, one sheep, and one pig. Three zoonotic species were confirmed: Cryptosporidium parvum (genotype family IId) in five goat samples and one sheep sample, C. ubiquitum in one goat sample, and C. scrofarum in one pig sample (first report of this species in France). Giardia duodenalis assemblage E was detected in a goat herd. This study documents widespread gastrointestinal parasitism in Corsican livestock. While no human cases of giardiasis or cryptosporidiosis have officially been reported in Corsica, this first detection of zoonotic species in livestock highlights potential public health risks and supports the need for evidence-based prevention strategies for humans and animals.
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BibTeX
@article{grechangelini2026gastrointestinal,
title = {{Gastrointestinal parasites and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia sp. in ruminants and other domestic animals in Corsica (France), a Mediterranean island environment.}},
author = {Sébastien Grech-Angelini and Venceslas Villier and Jean-Marc Santini and Michèle Riera and Agnès Guillaume and Damien Costa and Abdelmounaim Mouhajir and Caroline Boulocher and Loïc Favennec and Romy Razakandrainibe},
journal = {Parasite (Paris, France)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1051/parasite/2026059},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42954717},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gastrointestinal parasites and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia sp. in ruminants and other domestic animals in Corsica (France), a Mediterranean island environment.
AU - Sébastien Grech-Angelini
AU - Venceslas Villier
AU - Jean-Marc Santini
AU - Michèle Riera
AU - Agnès Guillaume
AU - Damien Costa
AU - Abdelmounaim Mouhajir
AU - Caroline Boulocher
AU - Loïc Favennec
AU - Romy Razakandrainibe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Parasite (Paris, France)
DO - 10.1051/parasite/2026059
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42954717
AB - Corsica is a mountainous French island in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea characterized by a wide diversity of natural environments where many interactions between humans, domestic animals and wild fauna occur. Gastrointestinal parasitism is a major concern for livestock productivity. Among these parasites, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are zoonotic, cosmopolitan protozoa frequently implicated in diarrheal diseases in both young animals and children. Despite an apparent favourable epidemiological context, gastrointestinal parasites remain understudied in Corsica. Between May 2023 and May 2024, 281 faecal samples were collected: 261 pooled ruminant samples (five animals per pool) from goats (n = 121), sheep (n = 117), and cattle (n = 23) across 159 farms and 20 individual samples from horses (n = 14) and pigs (n = 6). Coproscopic analyses detected at least one gastrointestinal parasite in 93% of all samples. Strongyle eggs (91%) and coccidian oocysts (72%) were most prevalent in ruminants. Molecular analyses (including real-time PCR and genotyping) identified Cryptosporidium spp. in 11 samples (3.9%): nine goats, one sheep, and one pig. Three zoonotic species were confirmed: Cryptosporidium parvum (genotype family IId) in five goat samples and one sheep sample, C. ubiquitum in one goat sample, and C. scrofarum in one pig sample (first report of this species in France). Giardia duodenalis assemblage E was detected in a goat herd. This study documents widespread gastrointestinal parasitism in Corsican livestock. While no human cases of giardiasis or cryptosporidiosis have officially been reported in Corsica, this first detection of zoonotic species in livestock highlights potential public health risks and supports the need for evidence-based prevention strategies for humans and animals.
SN - 1252-607X
SN - 1776-1042
ER -