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Giardiasis - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Definition

Giardiasis is a diarrheal illness caused by a microscopic parasite, Giardia intestinalis (also known as Giardia lamblia). It is the most frequent cause of non-bacterial diarrhea in North America. Some other symptoms of giardiasis are belching, gas and cramps. Although these problems are very unpleasant, the illness isn't usually dangerous. It is a common cause of gastroenteritis in humans, infecting approximately 200 million people worldwide.

Causes

Anyone can get giardiasis but it tends to occur more often in people in institutional settings, people in day care centers, foreign travelers and individuals who consume improperly treated surface water. Men who have sex with men may also be at increased risk of contracting giardiasis.
It can be contracted by drinking water from lakes or streams, where water-dwelling animals such as beavers and muskrats, or domestic animals such as sheep, have caused contamination. It is also spread by direct person-to-person contact, which has caused outbreaks in institutions such as day-care centers.

Symptoms

Symptoms usually take an average of seven to 10 days to develop, but may take three weeks or occasionally longer. Symptoms may include :-
Acute or chronic diarrhoea
Weight loss
Fatigue
Abdominal cramps
The excretion of large amounts of fat in faeces (steatorrhoea) due to malabsorption of fat in the digestive system.
Diagnosis involves laboratory testing of stools that have been collected over several days. Symptoms are caused largely by the thick coating of Giardia organisms coating the inside of the small intestine and blocking nutrient absorption. Most people are asymptomatic; only about a third of infected people exhibit symptoms.

Treatment

Giardiasis is usually treated with a medicine called metronidazole (brand name: Flagyl). It's usually taken 3 times a day for 5 to 10 days. Side effects may include a metallic taste in the mouth or nausea. If you take Flagyl, you should not drink any alcohol. This medicine shouldn't be taken in the early stages of pregnancy.
Furazolidone (Furoxone) is generally used to treat children. Cure rates are generally greater than 80%. Drug resistance may be a factor in treatment failures, sometimes requiring a change in antibiotic therapy.

People who live with or have had close contact with an infected person and develop symptoms of giardiasis should consult their doctor to see whether they need to be tested or treated for the disease.