Giardiasis is one of the most frequent causes of diarrhoeic diseases in the world. Giardia cysts are most commonly transferred via ingestion of contaminated water or food. On the basis of genetic characteristics Giardia duodenalis is classified in eight assemblages A—H. Zoonotic assemblages A and B are increasingly found in isolates from dogs which may constitute the reservoir of human giardiasis. This article presents a brief review of G. duodenalis assemblages detected in dogs that were documented in European countries.
