Livestock guinea pigs in Ecuador as reservoirs of zoonotic protozoa and helminths.

ABSTRACT: Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are bred as laboratory animal models and pets worldwide. However, they are also raised as livestock in South American countries from the Andean region, including Ecuador. Despite their importance for the rural local economy, no specific management guidelines for guinea pig farming have been developed by Ecuadorian animal or public health authorities. Moreover, several reports have shown the carriage of diverse zoonotic pathogens in guinea pigs. In this study, the prevalence of enteric protozoan and helminths in guinea pigs from Ecuador was analyzed. Fecal samples from 765 guinea pigs from 153 farms were collected. The overall prevalence of parasitism was 86.0% (95% CI: 83.4-88.3). Five different genera of protozoan parasites, which include zoonotic spec

SUBMITTER: Salas-Rueda MX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12504026 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature