Work

Gastrointestinal parasites and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia sp. in ruminants and other domestic animals in Corsica (France), a Mediterranean island environment

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Corsica is a mountainous French island in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea characterized by a wide diversity of natural environments where many interactions between humans, domestic animals and wild fauna occur. Gastrointestinal parasitism is a major concern for livestock productivity. Among these parasites, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are zoonotic, cosmopolitan protozoa frequently implicated in diarrheal diseases in both young animals and children. Despite an apparent favourable epidemiological context, gastrointestinal parasites remain understudied in Corsica. Between May 2023 and May 2024, 281 faecal samples were collected: 261 pooled ruminant samples (five animals per pool) from goats (n = 121), sheep (n = 117), and cattle (n = 23) across 159 farms and 20 individual samples from horses (n = 14) and pigs (n = 6). Coproscopic analyses detected at least one gastrointestinal parasite in 93% of all samples. Strongyle eggs (91%) and coccidian oocysts (72%) were most prevalent in ruminants. Molecular analyses (including real-time PCR and genotyping) identified Cryptosporidium spp. in 11 samples (3.9%): nine goats, one sheep, and one pig. Three zoonotic species were confirmed: Cryptosporidium parvum (genotype family IId) in five goat samples and one sheep sample, C. ubiquitum in one goat sample, and C. scrofarum in one pig sample (first report of this species in France). Giardia duodenalis assemblage E was detected in a goat herd. This study documents widespread gastrointestinal parasitism in Corsican livestock. While no human cases of giardiasis or cryptosporidiosis have officially been reported in Corsica, this first detection of zoonotic species in livestock highlights potential public health risks and supports the need for evidence-based prevention strategies for humans and animals.

Source: Parasite

DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2026059