Giardia psittaci in non conventional pets: literature review

Abstract

The genus Giardia spp is a flagellate protozoan with global distribution and is the cause of giardiasis in birds and mammals. Giardiasis is considered a common and important disease in psittaciformes and clinical signs include fatigue, decreased appetite and diarrhea, as well as dry skin, pecks and feathers. This work aimed to carry out a bibliographic review to analyze the frequency of Giardia psittaci in birds and its zoonotic potential. The clinical manifestations caused by giardiasis are complex and vary according to the host. Animal giardiasis tends to cause subclinical infection in most animals. Although relatively common in psittaciformes, giardiasis is considered rare in other captive birds. For this purpose, a bibliographic review was carried out, with a descriptive-discursive character, in order to gather articles and research that dealt with the theme. Differentiating the Giardia species found in captive psittaciformes will become critical for future work, especially to assess the risk of cross-species transmission and the zoonotic potential of keeping parrots as pets. As a result, the study was able to update the existing literature about Giardia psittaci and how the zoonosis affects birds.