2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

To date, 23 senior veterinary students have supplied a personal fecal sample; 15 concurrently supplied a dog fecal sample and 13 concurrently supplied a cat fecal sample. Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. (Crypto) were the only parasites detected in the human, dog, and cat samples tested to date. The distribution of results by species and assay are listed in the Of the 4 positive people, 1 owned a negative dog, 1 owned a negative dog and cat, 1 owned a negative dog, and 1 owned a dog positive for both Giardia and Cryptosporidium and a negative cat (the owner was Cryptosporidium spp. positive). The other dogs and cats positive for either organism were owned by people that were negative for both organisms. None of the humans or cats had dual infections whereas two dogs were infected with both protozoans. DNA sequencing has been completed in two dogs that were positive for G. duodenalis Assemblage D using tpi and gdh genes and one dog that was positive to Cryptosporidium spp. using the 18SrRNA gene. The sequence analysis for the other PCR positive samples failed due to low DNA concentration.