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Figure 1: Visual appearance of Giardia lamblia trophozoite on microscopy (Mount Sinai Hospital, n.d.) https://eportal.mountsinai.ca/Microbiology//pig/protozoa4.shtml
Giardiasis is a small intestinal infection caused by the flagellate protozoan, Giardia lamblia (Dunn, 2024).
The infection is marked by symptoms such as: flatulence and a watery diarrhoea (Dunn, 2024).
Giardia contaminates water, but can also be found on food, flies, hands or unclean surfaces and objects, and enters its host when swallowed (Erlandsen, 2024).
This parasite is also known to cause an autoinfection via the faeco-oral route (Erlandsen, 2024).
Reservoirs
Reservoirs
The definitive host for G. lamblia is the human, while its reservoir host is animals such as: beavers, dogs, cats and primates (Adam, 2024).
The environmental reservoirs for Giardia include bodies of water like lakes, ponds, rivers and streams (EPA, 2000).
Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Retortamonada
Class: Diplomonadida
Order: Diplomonadida
Family: Hexamitidae
Genus: Giardia
Species: lamblia
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