Maternal Separation During Breastfeeding as a Risk Factor for Developing Giardiasis: Evaluation in a Rodent Model

Maternal Separation During Breastfeeding as a Risk Factor for Developing Giardiasis: Evaluation in a Rodent Model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Maternal Separation During Breastfeeding as a Risk Factor for Developing Giardiasis: Evaluation in a Rodent Model Maria Fernanda Gerena Cruz, Iveth Melissa Guatibonza Arevalo, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6033945/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Gut Pathogens → Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background : Giardia lamblia is a globally prevalent gastrointestinal parasite. Breastfeeding provides protective effects against infections, but the impact of early life stress, such as maternal separation, on Giardia infection remains unclear. This study examines how maternal separation during breastfeeding (MSDB) affects Giardia infection in Wistar rats. Results : MSDB significantly increased cyst shedding, particularly in females, and elevated eosinophil counts, which are markers of acute infection. The Villi/crypt ratios were lower in the MSDB non-infected groups than in their non-separated counterparts, with males showing significant differences among the infected groups. MSDB in infected groups was associated with a significantly higher eosinophil count outside the capillaries, highlighting its impact on acute infection markers, with this effect observed in both sexes. Conclusions : Maternal separation exacerbates Giardia infection by impairing gut immune responses, underscoring the critical role of early-life maternal interactions in mitigating parasitic infections. Giardia infection Maternal separation stress Intestinal parasitic infections Stress-induced susceptibility Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Gut Pathogens → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 18 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 27 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Mar, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Mar, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6033945","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":431422099,"identity":"d7a2058d-fc35-4bd2-b685-50e6929e5625","order_by":0,"name":"Maria Fernanda Gerena Cruz","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Nacional de Colombia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Maria","middleName":"Fernanda Gerena","lastName":"Cruz","suffix":""},{"id":431422100,"identity":"a7aef3cb-4ca2-4d65-b403-e6e09491c6f2","order_by":1,"name":"Iveth Melissa Guatibonza Arevalo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Nacional de Colombia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Iveth","middleName":"Melissa Guatibonza","lastName":"Arevalo","suffix":""},{"id":431422101,"identity":"3e56d1ab-5198-4f36-ab5e-efec11bd702b","order_by":2,"name":"Gabriela Garcia Laguna","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad del Rosario","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gabriela","middleName":"Garcia","lastName":"Laguna","suffix":""},{"id":431422102,"identity":"7ef84e13-e7ae-4f0f-b045-8193c24c6d26","order_by":3,"name":"Rafael Guerrero Lozano","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Nacional de Colombia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rafael","middleName":"Guerrero","lastName":"Lozano","suffix":""},{"id":431422103,"identity":"73a691d3-a2da-4415-accd-352e56d751b2","order_by":4,"name":"Zulma Dueñas","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFCCAwYQmr0BSBSABIjWwgNSakCUFgaoFokEIrXINx7eJvFxh529fOQbswc/DBjk+G4kMH74gEcLY8OxMsmZZ5ITN97OMTfsMWAwlryRwCw5A48WZoYzZtK8bcwJhrNzzCR4DBgSN9xIYGPmwaOFDaTlb1u9veHMM2aSfwwY6glq4QFpYWw7zDhfgsdMGmhLggEhLRIMx4ote9uOJ27gSSuTljGQANr2sBmvX+RnHN5442dbtb18++Ftkm8qbOT5jicfxBtiDBIHILTBAaitoFDEp4GBgR8qL09A3SgYBaNgFIxgAAC+zUpneSB2yAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Nacional de Colombia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zulma","middleName":"","lastName":"Dueñas","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-15 02:53:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6033945/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6033945/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13099-025-00720-5","type":"published","date":"2026-02-14T15:57:15+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102785167,"identity":"5428f409-15ba-4594-b636-02f61d86a5ae","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 16:00:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1129221,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"snarticle1.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6033945/v1_covered_288c8fb7-abff-4247-bebb-7bdcfc0299e2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Maternal Separation During Breastfeeding as a Risk Factor for Developing Giardiasis: Evaluation in a Rodent Model","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"gut-pathogens","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"gutp","sideBox":"Learn more about [Gut Pathogens](http://gutpathogens.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"13099","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/13099/3","title":"Gut Pathogens","twitterHandle":"@GutPathogens","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Giardia infection, Maternal separation stress, Intestinal parasitic infections, Stress-induced susceptibility","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6033945/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6033945/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e: Giardia lamblia is a globally prevalent gastrointestinal parasite. Breastfeeding provides protective effects against infections, but the impact of early life stress, such as maternal separation, on Giardia infection remains unclear. This study examines how maternal separation during breastfeeding (MSDB) affects Giardia infection in Wistar rats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e: MSDB significantly increased cyst shedding, particularly in females, and elevated eosinophil counts, which are markers of acute infection. The Villi/crypt ratios were lower in the MSDB non-infected groups than in their non-separated counterparts, with males showing significant differences among the infected groups. 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