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giardiasis

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giardiasis

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Also known as Infection by Giardia lamblia, beaver feaver, Giardia infection, Lambliases, Giardia, Giardiases, infections, Giardia, Lambliasis

Giardiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the protist enteropathogen Giardia duodenalis (also known as G. lamblia and G. intestinalis), especially common in children and travelers. Infected individuals experience steatorrhea, a type of diarrhea with fatty sticky stool; abdominal pain, weight loss, and weakness due to dehydration and malabsorption. Less common symptoms include skin rash, hives and joint swelling. Symptoms usually begin one to three weeks after exposure and, without treatment, may last two to six weeks or longer. Some infected individuals experience mild or no symptoms and rem

Key facts

Medical condition (new).name
Giardiasis
Medical condition (new).synonyms
Beaver fever, giardia
Medical condition (new).image
Giardia lamblia SEM 8698 lores.jpg
Medical condition (new).image_size
300px
Medical condition (new).caption
Giardia cell viewed with scanning electron microscope
Medical condition (new).field
Infectious disease, gastroenterology
Medical condition (new).symptoms
Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea
Medical condition (new).onset
1 to 3 weeks after exposure
Medical condition (new).causes
Giardia duodenalis spread mainly through contaminated food or water
Medical condition (new).risks
Hypogammaglobulinemia
Medical condition (new).diagnosis
Stool testing
Medical condition (new).differential
Irritable bowel syndrome
Medical condition (new).prevention
Improved sanitation
Medical condition (new).treatment
Antiprotozoal medications
Medical condition (new).medication
Tinidazole, metronidazole
Medical condition (new).frequency
Up to 7% (developed world), up to 30% (developing world)

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Research

7,077 papers

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Wikidata facts

Image
Giardiasis intestine 400x.jpg
Show 3 more facts
Commons category
Giardiasis
ICD-9-CM
007.1
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~22 min read

Article

26 sections
Contents
  • Signs and symptoms
  • Cause
  • Risk factors
  • Transmission
  • Pathophysiology
  • Antigenic variation and immune evasion
  • Host defence
  • Natural barriers
  • Nitric oxide production
  • Innate immune system
  • Lectin pathway of complement
  • The classical pathway of complement
  • Adaptive immune system
  • Antibodies
  • T-cells
  • Diagnosis
  • Prevention
  • Vaccine
  • Treatment
  • Prognosis
  • Epidemiology
  • Research
  • Other animals
  • One Health Perspective
  • References
  • External links

Giardiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the protist enteropathogen Giardia duodenalis (also known as G. lamblia and G. intestinalis), especially common in children and travelers. Infected individuals experience steatorrhea, a type of diarrhea with fatty sticky stool; abdominal pain, weight loss, and weakness due to dehydration and malabsorption. Less common symptoms include skin rash, hives and joint swelling. Symptoms usually begin one to three weeks after exposure and, without treatment, may last two to six weeks or longer. Some infected individuals experience mild or no symptoms and remain symptom-free even if the infection persists for a long time.

Giardiasis spreads via the fecal-oral route, when Giardia cysts excreted with feces contaminate food or water that is later consumed orally. The disease can also spread between people and between people and animals, mainly via pets. Cysts may survive for nearly three months in cold water.

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