Giardiasis
Medical Author:
Betsy P Schrader, MD
Coauthor:
Robert M McNamara, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Ron Fuerst, MD
Giardiasis OverviewGiardiasis is an infection of the small bowel by a single-celled organism called Giardia lamblia. People become infected with the Giardia parasite after swallowing Giardia cyst often found in water contaminated by raw sewage or animal waste.
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Giardiasis
Traveler's Diarrhea Overview
Diarrhea occurs in a significant number of people who travel to foreign countries. Travelers to developing countries of the world become ill from eating or drinking food or water contaminated by infected human bowel waste.
Traveler's diarrhea can be defined as 3 or more unformed stools in a 24-hour period.
- Travelers at risk: Those going from industrialized countries to developing countries. The condition is more common in young adults. About 30-50% of travelers to the high-risk areas will develop diarrhea.
- High-risk areas
- Mexico
- Latin America
- Africa
- Middle East
- Asia
- Mexico
- Moderate-risk areas
- Caribbean islands
- Southern Europe
- Israel
- Caribbean islands
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Giardiasis »
Giardia lamblia was originally identified by von Leeuwenhoek in the 1600s and was first recognized in human stool byVilem Dusan Lambl (1824-1895) in 1859and by Alfred Giard (1846-1908) after whom it is named.
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