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Molecular analysis of Giardia lamblia using small subunit ribosomal RNA gene isolated from food handlers’ people in Erbil city

Cheman Hasan Hamid
Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Science, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Hawri Mustafa Bakr
Department of Physiology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Cheman Hasan Hamid, Hawri Mustafa Bakr (Author)

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Abstract

Background and objective: Giardia lamblia is the intestinal flagellated protozoan parasite causes giardiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, by living and multiplying in the small intestine of humans and other mammals. Giardiasis is most commonly transmitted in underdeveloped nations due to a lack of infrastructure for sanitation and hygiene education, as well as the fact that affected individuals often consume tainted food and drink that has mature cysts. The purpose of this research was to identify human giardiasis among food handlers as well as to perform sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssurRNA) gene.

Methods: A total of 540 fecal samples from food handlers were screened at the central laboratory in Erbil City, including both symptoms and asymptomatic individuals. General stool microscopy is the gold standard for primary diagnosis using saline and iodine wet mount technique. Molecular testing was carried out for samples that tested positive for Giardia lamblia, nucleic acid extracted from stool samples using specialize kit for that purpose. A 550 bp fragment of the ssu rRNA gene was amplified by PCR analysis targeted through a specific primer set. The amplified PCR products were sent to a sequencing facility in South Korea to determine the sequence of the ssu rRNA gene in Giardia lamblia.

Results: The study did not find any correlations between infection rates and socioeconomic status or demographic variables. Microscopic examination identified (50) positive cases, of which (21) were also confirmed as positive through PCR. The ssu rRNA gene reported variation, and (21) different sequences of the gene show changing in one nucleotide which changes one amino acid. Following aligning of ssu rRNA gene sequences using NCBI-BLAST homology analysis, the samples showed the following percentages of identity with Giardia lamblia isolates from various countries: 99.59% and 100% with isolates from Australia, 100% with those from USA, 99.38% from Iraq, 99.59% from Sweden, and 99.59% from Spain.

Conclusion: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a very dependable tool for identifying Giardia lamblia. The pathogenicity of Giardia lamblia may be impacted by the variations in sequencing alignment of ssu rRNA documented through bioinformatics and single nucleotide mutations.

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How to Cite
Hasan Hamid, C. ., & Mustafa Bakr, H. (2026). Molecular analysis of Giardia lamblia using small subunit ribosomal RNA gene isolated from food handlers’ people in Erbil city. Zanco Journal of Medical Sciences (ZJMS), 30(1), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.15218/zjms.2026.010

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