Environmental contamination and molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis around Korean cattle farms: Implications for One Health surveillance
4 affiliations
- 1Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Republic of Korea
- 2College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Khalsa College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Punjab 143001, India
- 4Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Giardia duodenalis is an important enteric protozoan parasite transmitted via the fecal–oral route through the ingestion of environmentally resistant cysts, with contaminated soil and water serving as potential sources of infection. Although its molecular epidemiology has been extensively investigated in livestock, data on environmental contamination surrounding cattle farms remain limited in Korea. This study evaluated the occurrence and molecular characteristics of G. duodenalis in soil and water collected from cattle farm environments. Between July 2023 and June 2024, 364 environmental samples (185 soil and 179 water samples) were collected from beef and dairy cattle farms across three regions. Samples were screened for G. duodenalis by PCR targeting the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. PCR-positive samples were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, with additional PCR assays targeting the bg, gdh, and tpi genes performed for assemblage identification. G. duodenalis was detected in 2 of 364 samples (0.5%), comprising one soil sample and one water sample collected near beef cattle farms. Both positive samples were obtained in autumn and yielded identical SSU rRNA sequences that clustered phylogenetically with assemblage E; however, amplification of the bg, gdh, and tpi loci was unsuccessful. These findings provide the first molecular evidence of G. duodenalis DNA in environmental matrices surrounding Korean cattle farms. The detection of G. duodenalis DNA in soil and water provides preliminary evidence of environmental contamination. However, these findings do not establish cyst viability, infectivity, or zoonotic transmission, highlighting the need for further investigations within a One Health framework. This study provides baseline data for integrated One Health surveillance and underscores the importance of systematic environmental monitoring for elucidating transmission pathways, evaluating potential public health significance, and informing evidence-based biosecurity measures.
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BibTeX
@article{lee2026environmental,
title = {{Environmental contamination and molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis around Korean cattle farms: Implications for One Health surveillance}},
author = {Haeseung Lee and Myungji Jo and Hyeyeon Kim and Kaifa Nazim and Seung-Hun Lee and Min-Goo Seo and Man Hee Rhee and Dongmi Kwak},
journal = {One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101633},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722083},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Environmental contamination and molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis around Korean cattle farms: Implications for One Health surveillance
AU - Haeseung Lee
AU - Myungji Jo
AU - Hyeyeon Kim
AU - Kaifa Nazim
AU - Seung-Hun Lee
AU - Min-Goo Seo
AU - Man Hee Rhee
AU - Dongmi Kwak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
DO - 10.1016/j.onehlt.2026.101633
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13722083
AB - Giardia duodenalis is an important enteric protozoan parasite transmitted via the fecal–oral route through the ingestion of environmentally resistant cysts, with contaminated soil and water serving as potential sources of infection. Although its molecular epidemiology has been extensively investigated in livestock, data on environmental contamination surrounding cattle farms remain limited in Korea. This study evaluated the occurrence and molecular characteristics of G. duodenalis in soil and water collected from cattle farm environments. Between July 2023 and June 2024, 364 environmental samples (185 soil and 179 water samples) were collected from beef and dairy cattle farms across three regions. Samples were screened for G. duodenalis by PCR targeting the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene. PCR-positive samples were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, with additional PCR assays targeting the bg, gdh, and tpi genes performed for assemblage identification. G. duodenalis was detected in 2 of 364 samples (0.5%), comprising one soil sample and one water sample collected near beef cattle farms. Both positive samples were obtained in autumn and yielded identical SSU rRNA sequences that clustered phylogenetically with assemblage E; however, amplification of the bg, gdh, and tpi loci was unsuccessful. These findings provide the first molecular evidence of G. duodenalis DNA in environmental matrices surrounding Korean cattle farms. The detection of G. duodenalis DNA in soil and water provides preliminary evidence of environmental contamination. However, these findings do not establish cyst viability, infectivity, or zoonotic transmission, highlighting the need for further investigations within a One Health framework. This study provides baseline data for integrated One Health surveillance and underscores the importance of systematic environmental monitoring for elucidating transmission pathways, evaluating potential public health significance, and informing evidence-based biosecurity measures.
SN - 2352-7714
ER -