Banting Green: Science and the Environment Plus: Giardia duodenalis, a Protista

View below to learn about Giardia duodenalis ....a Protista

Protists are a kingdom or large grouping that comprises mostly single-celled organisms such as protozoa, simple algae and fungi, slime molds, and (formerly) the bacteria. They are now divided among up to thirty phyla, and some have both plant and animal characteristics.

Giardia duodenalis is one protist of concern to human health which I will discuss below.

Giardia duodenalis

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/pathogen.html

Giardia duodenalis is an organism within the Protista kingdom. Most protist diseases that are in humans are caused by protozoa. Protozoa make humans sick when they become human parasites. Giardia is a microscopic parasite that causes the diarrheal illness known as giardiasis. Giardiasis is an internal infection within humans as well as animals, which is caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis. It is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or even water that has been contaminated with feces from infected humans or animals.

How do humans get it?

Humans can get Giardia as anything that comes into contact with feces from infected humans or animals can combine within the giardia parasite. Humans can get infected if we swallow the parasite which can be while swimming in lakes and rivers in which animals that carry the parasite live, This is how the term “Beaver Fever” comes from which is basically when humans swallow or ingest infested lake or river water containing the Giardia. We cannot be infected through contact with blood! Do not drink river/lake water if around, make sure to avoid.

For Giardia the best as well as the most commonly used treatment is Metronidazole (Flagyl), another two options can be Tinidazole (Tindamax), as well as Nitazoxanide (Alinia). The worst symptoms for Giardia can last up to five to seven days if treated properly. If you do not treat it the symptoms can last up to one or two months before it starts to actually improve. There is a small number of people who can actually be apart of developing more long-term Giardia, which can, for example, result in such as diarrhea lasting up to two years.

Overall if you get giardia (giardiasis) you should, in fact, get treatment so that it can be taken care of rather then you having it cure on its own, even after treatment it can take a bit because the intestine needs to repair itself as well.

This is a diagram of Giardia