Giardia peramelis

Hillman, Alison, Ash, Amanda, Elliot, Aileen, Lymbery, Alan, Perez, Catherine & Thompson, R. C. Andrew, 2016, Confirmation of a unique species of Giardia, parasitic in the quenda (Isoodon obesulus), International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 5 (1), pp. 110-115 : 110-111

2.1. Obtaining G. peramelis specimens

Faecal samples were collected from quenda trapped across 51 locations in the Statistical Division of Perth, Western Australia. Faecal material was also collected from the large intestine of quenda carcasses, obtained opportunistically from the same area. All samples were obtained under Murdoch University Animal Ethics Permit (R2530/12), and Department of Parks Wildlife Regulation 17 (SF009640) and Regulation 4 (CE004287) permits.

From each quenda, 2 mL faeces were thoroughly mixed in to

http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2016.01.002

8 mL 10% buffered formalin, and 1 mL faeces were thoroughly mixed in to 8 mL 70% ethanol. Preserved faecal samples were stored at 4 ǫC until analysis.

The formalin-preserved faecal samples were screened for Giardia spp. cysts using immunofluorescence microscopy. Merifluor Cryptosporidium/ Giardia kits (Meridian Bioscience, Inc. USA) were used according to manufacturer's directions for unconcentrated faecal samples. Slides were examined at 200X magnification. Samples positive for Giardia spp. were differentiated to a species level via PCR and sequencing (methodology in section 2.4). In addition, ten immunofluorescence negative samples from trapped quenda were randomly selected and subject to the same PCR and sequencing protocols as the immunofluorescence positive samples.