Giardia lamblia
MICROBIOLOGY
- Giardia lamblia, syn. G. duodenalis or G. intestinalis
- This flagellated bi-nucleated protozoan (see figure) is North America’s most common intestinal parasite and the third most common etiology of diarrheal disease in children under 5 years old worldwide.[2]
- CDC image gallery accessed 2/9/2023 at https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/giardiasis/index.html.
- Life cycle forms are: 1) highly infectious cysts; and 2) disease-causing trophozoites.
- Following excystation, trophozoites multiply, colonize the upper small intestine, and persist as extracellular, noninvasive endoparasites.[8]
- Trophozoites have a flat ventral surface, and their adherence to the brush border of enterocytes can cause malabsorption.
- Modes of transmission include water exposure, food contamination, person-to-person, and fecal-oral contact.[1]
- Since the minimal infective dose is less than 10 cysts, giardiasis is highly infectious.
- Transmission may occur in daycare centers, overcrowded areas with poor sanitation, and outdoor recreation or swimming pools.
- Surface water is easily contaminated by cysts shed by mammalian hosts such as beaver, sheep, cattle, dogs, or cats.
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Last updated: April 15, 2023
Citation
Spacek, Lisa A. "Giardia Lamblia." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2023. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540246/all/Giardia_lamblia.
Spacek LA. Giardia lamblia. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540246/all/Giardia_lamblia. Accessed November 8, 2024.
Spacek, L. A. (2023). Giardia lamblia. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540246/all/Giardia_lamblia
Spacek LA. Giardia Lamblia [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. [cited 2024 November 08]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540246/all/Giardia_lamblia.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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T1 - Giardia lamblia
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A1 - Spacek,Lisa,M.D., Ph.D.
Y1 - 2023/04/15/
BT - Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
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PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Pediatrics Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
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