Giardiasis

Question: can giardia or giardiasis infection go away on its own after a while? or will it always be present in the intestine for as long as treatment is not taken. Can it kill an animal or human if it goes untreated? I've read that many cases in humans are undiagnosed and that makes me wonder if it just goes away by itself or if it kills the host?

Answer: Many people go undiagnosed because they have no symptoms. Accurate diagnosis requires an antigen test or, if that is unavailable, an ova and parasite examination of stool. Multiple stool examinations are recommended, since the cysts and trophozoites are not shed consistently. Colonisation of the gut results in inflammation and villous atrophy, reducing the gut's absorptive capability. In humans, infection is symptomatic only about 50% of the time, and protocol for treating asymptomatic individuals is controversial.[3] Symptoms of infection include (in order of frequency) diarrhea, malaise, excessive gas (often flatulence or a foul or sulphuric-tasting belch, which has been known to be so nauseating in taste that it can cause the infected person to vomit), steatorrhoea (pale, foul smelling, greasy stools), epigastric pain, bloating, nausea, diminished interest in food, possible (but rare) vomiting which is often violent, and weight loss.[3] Pus, mucus and blood are not commonly present in the stool. In healthy individuals, the condition is usually self-limiting, although the infection can be prolonged in patients who are immunocompromised, or who have decreased gastric acid secretion.[3] People with recurring Giardia infections, particularly those with a lack of IgA, may develop chronic disease. Lactase deficiency may develop in an infection with Giardia, however this usually does not persist for more than a few weeks, and a full recovery is the norm. Cats can be cured easily, lambs usually simply lose weight, but in calves the parasites can be fatal and often are not responsive to antibiotics or electrolytes. Carriers among calves can also be asymptomatic. Dogs have a high infection rate, as 30% of the population under one year old are known to be infected in kennels. The infection is more prevalent in puppies than in adult dogs. This parasite is deadly for chinchillas, so extra care must be taken by providing them with safe water. Infected dogs can be isolated and treated, or the entire pack at a kennel can be treated together regardless. Kennels should also be then cleaned with bleach or other cleaning disinfectants. The grass areas used for exercise should be considered contaminated for at least one month after dogs show signs of infection, as cysts can survive in the environment for long periods of time. Prevention can be achieved by quarantine of infected dogs for at least 20 days and careful management and maintenance of a clean water supply. ============================================ In otherwise healthy persons, symptoms of giardiasis may last 2 to 6 weeks. Occasionally, symptoms last longer. Several prescription drugs are available to treat Giardia . Although Giardia can infect all people, young children and pregnant women may be more susceptible to dehydration resulting from diarrhea and should, therefore, drink plenty of fluids while ill. Treatment is not necessary when the child has no symptoms. However, there are a few exceptions. If your child does not have diarrhea, but is having nausea, fatigue (very tired), weight loss, or a poor appetite, you and your health care provider may wish to consider treatment. If your child attends a day care center where an outbreak is continuing to occur despite efforts to control it, screening and treating children who have no obvious symptoms may be a good idea. The same is true if several family members are ill, or if a family member is pregnant and therefore not able to take the most effective anti-Giardia medications. Check out the links below.

Question: What are some symptoms in animals of Giardiasis disease???????????? Please help!

Answer: Usually diarrhea, sometimes with blood or mucus in it. http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/gia.html

Question: what are the clinical features of viral diarrhoea&giardiasis? what are the clinical features of viral diarrhoea&giardiasis?

Answer: Viral gastroenteritis is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in both adults and children. Many types of viruses can cause gastroenteritis. The most common ones are: Rotavirus, the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children. It can also infect adults exposed to children with the virus. Outbreaks may also occur in nursing homes. Norwalk virus, which is common among school-age children. These viruses are often found in contaminated food or drinking water. Symptoms of viral gastroenteritis usually appear within 4 to 48 hours after exposure to the contaminated food or water. Those with the highest risk for severe gastroenteritis include the young, the elderly, and people who have suppressed immune systems. Giardiasis is infection with the flagellated protozoan Giardia lamblia. Infection can be asymptomatic or cause symptoms ranging from intermittent flatulence to chronic malabsorption. Diagnosis is by identifying the organism in fresh stool or duodenal contents or by assays of Giardia antigen in stool. Treatment is with metronidazole, tinidazole, or nitazoxanide; alternatives in-clude furazolidone and paromomycin.

Question: can Giardiasis be transmitted through the mouth? question kinda states it all... i am in alaska visiting.. and drank from a river that turns out to have this.. idk if i have it or not.. im just curious... if the parasite can be transmitted through saliva or the mouth... thanks no dumb answers please.

Answer: Not sure what you mean by 'transmitted by mouth' but can you get Giardia by drinking water from a contaminated stream, absolutely YES. if you start to develop stomach of digestive problems I would make sure to let your doctor know you were drinking from water with Giardia bacteria so they can be sure to check for it. here are some basic websites on Giardia ion Alaska: http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=huntalaska.water http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF14/1410.html

Question: How can you avoid contracting the following diseases: Amoebic Dysentery, Crytoporidiosis, Giardiasis? In reguards to Microbiology.

Answer: boil the water....

Question: What traits are uesed for classification at the Phylum level for Giardiasis?

Answer: Giardiasis is an intestinal disorder caused by the parasitic organism Giardia, which is a flagellated protozoan. The most common classification scheme puts Giardia in the Kingdom Protista. Protists are categorized as being single celled chemotrophs (meaning they gain nourishment by eating other organisms rather than solely by photosynthesis) that possess a true nucleus as a 'control center' for regulation of cellular activity.

Question: I bought metronidazole for giardiasis in thailand. The pills are small round and orange. Is that right? Someone else told me tht they should be small and white. Has anyone else seen these orange ones or has he passed off vitamin C tablets as the real thing.

Answer: The metronidazole tabs I am used to seeing are white round tabs. Just the other day at work I saw one that said Pliva 333 on one side of the tab. I included a link that you can type any imprints on the tabs you have, to try and identify them. If they have no imprints on them I really do not think there is a way to tell for sure unless you actually see the original manufacturers bottle. Hit I agree on the screen, and then type the imprint in the space provided to see if there are any matches.

Question: What Kingdom is Chagas Disease, Giardiasis, and Amoebic Dysentery from?

Answer: Protista

Question: how can giardiasis cause hypogammaglobulin? i learned the topic giardiasis today and my lecturer asked us that question. i tried searching for it but cant find it

Answer: I'm a bit puzzled by the question. Typically, the relationship is the other way around. Hypogammaglobulinemia is often associated with chronic giardiasis in humans. This has led to the hypothesis that antibodies, particularly of the IgA isotype, are required to control Giardia infections. In other words, having hypogammaglobulinemia can make you susceptible to giardiasis. However, they may be getting at the idea that Giardia infection, along with others, can *unmask* a previously unsuspected predisposition to immune problems. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is an immune defect characterized by primary hypogammaglobulinemia. Most of the time, clinical manifestations that reveal CVID are recurrent bacterial infections, but other infections (like Giardia, a parasite) can do it. If people get infected, they can't clear the infection, and they eventually get picked up with hypogammaglobulinemia. Alternately, it may be that the chronic infection causes a problem with the lymphoid tissue in the gut, producing a deficit of IgA. If you go to the link before and search for 'giardia hypogammaglobulinemia' you get a reference (number 2, I think) which might say that - but I'm not sure because you have to pay to access the full text article and I don't care enough to do that. You might be able to get access free through your campus library.

Question: Can giardiasis (giardia intestinalis) a microscopic parasite last a long time? I was diagnosed with giardiasis (giardia intestinalis) a microscopic parasite back Feb. of ’06 and it was supposedly cured back then. Every once in awhile, I will have the same symptoms of it, can I still have the parasite after all this time?

Answer: It could be possible if you did not get appropriate treatment or are somehow getting re-infected. Most infected subjects are asymptomatic, and most infections are self-limited. Acute symptoms include acute watery diarrhea, chronic diarrhea with malabsorption and weight loss, and abdominal cramping. However, chronic infections, marked by chronic diarrhea, steatorrhea(fatty stools) and malabsorption, can occur and can last for weeks to months. Giardia has one of the simplest life cycles of all human parasites. The life cycle is composed of 2 stages, the trophozoite, which exists freely in the human small intestine and the cyst, which is passed into the environment. No intermediate hosts are required. Upon ingestion of the cyst contained in contaminated water or food, excystation occurs in the stomach and duodenum in the presence of acid and pancreatic enzymes. The trophozoites pass into the small bowel where they multiply rapidly, with a doubling time of 9-12 hours. As trophozoites pass into the large bowel, encystation occurs in the presence of neutral pH and secondary bile salts. Cysts are passed into the environment, and the cycle is repeated. Flagyl is the treatment of choice. Please see your doctor if you think you concerned with your symptoms.

Question: How does the body treat giardiasis? I just need it for a school paper and can't find it anywhere. How does the body treat itself of giardiasis without medication? I've read that asymptomatic cases don't need meds. Then how is it removed.

Answer: Sorry but giardiasis is harmful, it causes abdominal pain and can cause anemia. So it definitely needs treatment. And the body can not get rid of it by itself. It produces an inflammatory response in the intestines that causes malabsoption and can lead to fail to grow in children. It definitely needs treatment.

Question: How do we diagnose giardiasis?

Answer: Smell alone should do it. That and "spaghetti poos". Bad wind pain. Very boated. Officially: Stool Specimen.

Question: Giardiasis :T or F > Surving a case of it lessens or eliminates the possibility of getting it again? Typo :It should of course be "Surviviing "

Answer: Having Giardia infection does nothing to prevent further infection. There are no protective antibodies produced.

Question: How do I make my Giardia infected dog gain weight? My dog has been diagnosed with Giardiasis but has already been treated for it. They say Giardia lives with a dog forever and I believe that's the reason he's not gaining weight. How do I get him to gain weight even though he's not having an outbreak? Keep in mind he's also got Celiac's disease- so no grains/wheats.

Answer: feed the dog several small meals a day. there are special foods available:no grains! you can cook for him too:quinoa is gluten free! use pancreatic enzymes to help him absorb more nutrients:these enzymes are sold in health stores for people. sold under:digestive enzymes

Question: what organism does giardiasis infect?

Answer: Humans. Giardiasis (gee-ar-die-a-sis with a soft "G") is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the parasite, Giardia intestinalis, also known as Giardia lamblia. It is the most common cause of parasitic gastrointestinal disease, and it is estimated that up to 2.5 million cases of giardiasis occur each year in the US. Up to 20% of the world's population is chronically infected with Giardia lamblia.

Question: Hello I have a question about the parasite called Giardiasis PLEASE help.? Is it possible to have an infection of Giardiasis and the docter not no? I even had a stool sample done and it came up negative for giardiasis. I have read on the internet that you can have Giardiasis and have a negative stool sample and you can feel them. I am not sure if this is true or not and I was wondering if anyone eles new. PLEASE help my stomach problems have been going on way to long about 5 months. I am 27 year old female and pretty much healthy before all this began. It started while I was visiting the states. I am starting nursing school soon and am worried that I will not even be able to go.

Answer: Giardiasis is a diarrhea disease when infected this parasite lives in the intestine and is passed in the stools. This is protected by a outer shell it can survive for a long time you can become infected by swallowing such a parasite.You may have diarrhea,gas,stools that float,cramps (stomach) nausea or then again none of this at all.This all starts around 7 days after being infected.this could of been missed in 1 st sample you need to do another test and maybe another to be sure.Drink clear fluids eat light like soups or light foods.If get treatment for this you will be fine to go to your school/schools . You really need meds to kill bugs and to feel better the meds for this is Metronidazole or Tinidazole.After this you will be fine to go to school just be careful what you eat or drink. Good Luck with both.