Giardia duodenalis is an ubiquitous flagellate that infects humans and many species of animals. This species exhibits great biotypic and genetic diversity. In the present study, we established short- and long-term in vitro cultures of G. duodenalis trophozoites originating from red deer and Thomson’s gazelle (artiodactyls) and genetically characterised the isolates by their glutamate dehydrogenase and triose phosphate isomerase gene sequences. The G. duodenalis isolates from red deer and the gazelle represented assemblages A (AIII sub-assemblage) and B. In conclusion, G. duodenalis assemblages and sub-assemblages can be associated with differences in growth rate in vitro cultures.
In this study two further axenic Giardia isolates obtained from a silvery marmoset Callithrix argentata (Callithricidae) and a red-bellied guenon Cercopithecus erythrogaster (Cercopithecidae) are described. Biological features of the new primate Giardia isolates, such as morphometry of trophozoites, generation time and procedure of axenic isolation are presented.