{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T07:07:03Z","timestamp":1768892823730,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,10]],"date-time":"2024-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1712707200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006595","name":"Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitization, CNCS-UEFISCDI","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0519"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0519"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006595","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Giardia\u00a0duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are important zoonotic protozoan pathogens that infect the gastro-intestinal tract of numerous vertebrates, including humans, and both parasites are responsible for water- or food-borne outbreaks of disease worldwide. Although, globally, both parasites are highly prevalent, particularly in developing countries, epidemiological data from Romania are scarce, and genotyping has rarely been performed. The aims of the present study were to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in patients hospitalized in Northwestern Romania in relation to clinical and paraclinical presentation and to identify the relative frequency of non-specific symptoms and potential risk factors. Between June 2022 and January 2024, 426 fecal samples were screened for gastro-intestinal parasites by rapid tests and microscopical examination, further confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Giardia duodenalis was detected and characterized in 12 samples (2.82%), while Cryptosporidium parvum was confirmed in four samples (0.94%). A majority of positive patients were symptomatic and reported nausea and vomiting with a significantly higher frequency compared to negative ones. This study provides new insights into the epidemiological status and clinical implications of gastro-intestinal parasite species and genospecies in Romania that are necessary for an in-depth understanding of the potential zoonotic transmission and improvement of patient care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms12040762","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,10]],"date-time":"2024-04-10T03:07:48Z","timestamp":1712718468000},"page":"762","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Prevalence and Genotyping of Water- and Food-Borne Parasitic Protozoans (Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp.) in Hospitalized Patients from Northwestern Romania"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1438-2498","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angela Monica","family":"Ionic\u0103","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anca","family":"Ieremia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4492-8383","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zsuzsa","family":"Kalm\u00e1r","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Epidemiology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4010-2901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mihaela","family":"Lup\u0219e","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mirela","family":"Flonta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Monica","family":"Muntean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Cismaru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melinda","family":"Horvat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4154-0498","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amanda","family":"R\u0103dulescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3339-9711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adriana","family":"Topan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristian","family":"Jianu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6604-0839","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgiana","family":"Deak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Violeta","family":"Briciu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, \u201cIuliu Ha\u0163ieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 4000348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1099","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijpara.2021.08.007","article-title":"Taxonomy and molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium and Giardia\u2014A 50 year perspective (1971\u20132021)","volume":"51","author":"Ryan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. 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