Topic Name :

Giardia and its prevalence

Participants :

Name Roll no Section

1. Syed Mustafeez Ur Rehman 21 Morning

2. Syed Israr uddin 38 Morning

3. Muhammad Raheem 10 Morning

4. Muhammad Ibrahim 6 Morning

5. Wali Dad 6 Evening

6. Fazal- ur Rehman 51 Evening

Submitted to: Prof, Dr ,Asmat ullah Kakar

Subject : Economic Zoology

Department : Zoology

Contents
1. General account
2. History
3. Hosts
4. Transmission
5. Life cycle
6. Intracellular
metabolism and
biochemistry
7. Symptoms
8. Treatments
9. Temperature for kill of
Giardia
10. What, s food to eat after
infection of Giardia

Taxonomical Classification

Kingdom Protista
Subkingdo Protozoa
m Sarcomastigophora
Phylum Mastigophora
 Subphylum
Class Zoomastigophora
Order Diplomonadida
Family Hexamitidae
Genus Giardia
Species  lamblia 
 

General account

General character

Nucleus : Giardia is dimorphic ,having two nucleus.

Flagella: each giardia with four associated flagella and used as locomotive

organ.

Organelles: it lacks both mitochondria and a Golgi apparatus. However they are

now known to possess a complex endomembrane system as well as mitochondrial
remnants, called mitosomes through mitochondrial reduction. The mitosomes are not
used in ATP synthesis the way mitochondria are, but are involved in the maturation
of iron-sulfur proteins The synapo morphies of genus Giardia include cells with duplicate
organelles, absence of cytostomes and ventral adhesive disc.

Giardia lamblia is also known as Giardia intestinal a flagellated parasitic microorganism,

that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestine, causing giardiasis.

Attachment: The parasite attaches to the epithelium by a ventral adhesive disc

or sucker, and reproduces via binary fission.

Prevalence: Giardiasis does not spread via the bloodstream, nor does it spread
to other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, but remains confined to the lumen of the small
intestine. Giardia trophozoites absorb their nutrients from the lumen of the small
intestine, and are anaerobes.

Splitting symbol: If the organism is split and stained, its characteristic pattern
resembles the familiar "smiley face" symbol..

Occurrence: Giardia infections occur worldwide, however Giardia lamblia is the

most commonly identified intestinal parasite in the United States and Canada among
children in day care centres, hikers, family members, homosexual male partners and
immune compromised adults. Approximately 20,000 cases per year in the United States
are reported.
Fig no: 1, which shows the labelled diagram of Giardia.

History
The trophozoite form of Giardia was first observed in 1681 by Antonie van
Leeuwenhoek
Human parasite: Giardia duodenalis, Giardia lamblia and Giardia intestinalis are all in
common current use despite the potential for confusion this has created. .
In 2008, Giardia was identified as one of the causes of
the dysentery afflicting Crusaders in Palestine in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Host
Giardia infects humans, but is also one of the most common parasites infecting cats,
dogs and birds. Mammalian hosts also include dozens of species,
including cattle, sheep, and goats.

Cats can be cured easily and lambs usually simply lose weight, but in calves, the
parasites can be fatal and often are not responsive to antibiotics or e lectrolytes.
Carriers among calves can also be asymptomatic. This parasite is deadly for chinchillas,
so extra care must be taken by providing them with safe water. 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. 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.

Transmission
Giardia lamblia infection can occur through ingestion of dormant microbial cysts in water
or food, or by the fecal–oral route The cyst can survive for weeks to months in cold
water, so can contaminated wells and water systems, especially stagnant water
sources, such as naturally occurring ponds, storm water storage systems, and even
clean-looking mountain streams.

Can also be found on surfaces, soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with
faeces from infected humans or animals. They may also occur in city reservoirs and
persist after water treatment, as the cysts are resistant to conventional water treatment
methods, such as chlorination..

Zoonotic transmission is also possible, so Giardia infection is a concern for people

camping in the wilderness or swimming in contaminated streams or lakes. In addition to
waterborne sources, fecal–oral transmission can also occur.

Intracellular metabolism and biochemistry:

Giardia relies on glucose as its major energy source and breaks glucose down into
ethanol, acetate and carbon dioxide. However, it can also use arginine as an energy
source. Vitamins and bile salts, as well as glucose, are necessary for Giardia to survive,
and a low-carbohydrate diet was shown in mice to reduce the number
of Giardia organisms present.
Life cycle
The life cycle begins with a non-infective cyst being excreted with the feces of an
infected individual. The cyst stage can survive well in a variety of environmental
conditions and even the acidity of the stomach therefore allowing it to pass through to
the small intestine where it can replicate and cause clinical illness. Cysts are then
formed and passed through the feces to complete its life cycle and spread to other
hosts. The cyst is hardy, providing protection from various degrees of heat and
cold, desiccation, and infection from other organisms. A distinguishing characteristic of
the cyst is four nuclei and a retracted cytoplasm. Once ingested by a host, the
trophozoites emerges to an active state of feeding and motility. After the feeding stage,
the trophozoite undergoes asexual replication through longitudinal binary fission. The
resulting trophozoites and cysts then pass through the digestive system in the faeces.

While the trophozoites may be found in the faeces, only the cysts are capable outside.

Figure :2 which indicates that the lifecycle of Giardia

 Symptoms of Giardia
For those who do get sick signs and symptoms usually appear one to three weeks after
exposure and may include,

 Watery, sometimes foul-smelling diarrhea that may alternate with soft, greasy
stools.
 Fatigue or malaise.
 Abdominal cramps and bloating.
 Gas or flatulence.
 Nausea.
 Weight loss.

Without treatment how long Giardia stay

The worst symptoms of giardiasis typically last for five to seven days, as long as
diagnosis and treatment is not delayed. Symptoms can take as long as several months
to complete.
Best treatment :
When signs and symptoms are severe or the infection persists, doctors usually treat
giardiasis with medications such as: Metronidazole (Flagyl). Metronidazole is the most
commonly used antibiotic for giardia infection.

What temperature to kill the giardia :

Heat heating water is a time-proven method of killing contaminants. While Giardia cysts
die at temperatures below boiling (130-145° F), to be safe you should maintain a rolling
boil for several minutes-longer at high altitudes.

After infection what ,s food used for eating:

You may eat soft, plain foods. Good choices are soda crackers, toast, plain noodles,
or rice, cooked cereal, applesauce, and bananas. Eat slowly and avoid foods that
are hard to digest or may irritate your stomach, such as foods with acid
(like tomatoes or oranges), spicy or fatty food, meats, and raw vegetables.

Incubation period for giardia:

Acute giardiasis develops after an incubation period of 1 to 14 days (average of 7 days)
and usually lasts 1 to 3 weeks. Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating,
nausea, and vomiting.