The prevalence of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp., and the molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. isolated from human, wildlife and agricultural sources of the North Saskatchewan River basin in Alberta, Canada

The environmental distribution of Giardia and Cryptosporidium is dependent upon human, agriculture, and wildlife sources. The significance of each source on the presence of parasites in the environment is unknown. This study examined parasite prevalence in sewage influent, wildlife and agricultural sources of the North Saskatchewan River basin. Samples were collected from cow-calf, dairy, and hog operations, wildlife, and sewage treatment facilities in the watershed. Giardia and Cryptosporidium were detected in all sources. The lowest prevalence of Giardia (2.25%) and Cryptosporidium (0.36%) were found in wildlife. Sewage had the highest prevalence of Giardia (48.80%) and Cryptosporidium (5.42%), however the concentration of both parasites was less than that detected in agriculture (p ≤ 0.01). Cow-calf sources contained the highest concentration of Giardia and dairy sources the highest concentration of C. parvum. PCR-based characterization of Cryptosporidium isolates revealed differences between human, pig, calf, cow, and cat isolates. The information presented will contribute to the epidemiology of waterborne parasites in Canada.