Abstract

Chinchilla lanigera is a rodent native to Chile which is bred for commercial purposes. Parasitic diseases, mainly giardiasis, may cause clinical and sanitary problems and lead to production and economic losses. Fecal samples were collected from 220 chinchillas pertaining to a commercial breeding facility in southern Brazil and from 35 chinchillas from Las Chinchillas National Reserve in Chile. All samples were analyzed using the method proposed by Faust et al. Positive samples for Giardia cysts amounted to 31.37% (80/255); 36.36% (80/220) was recovered from the commercial breeding facility. The rate of samples with over 5 cysts/field was equivalent to 4.55% (10/220). All of the samples collected from the National Reserve were negative for Giardia sp. No association was found between positive rates for Giardia sp. and the age of chinchillas.