Review article: the management of Giardiasis

Giardiasis is the intestinal infection resulting from infestation with the human parasite Giardia intestinalis, also called Giardia lamblia, The infec tion may be asymptomatic or present with a variety of symptoms such as diar rhoea. weight loss, abdominal cramps, and failure to thrive, Giardiasis is most often diagnosed after recent travel or in day care centres. The organi sm has two stages in its life cycle. It is usually ingested as a cyst with as few as 10-25 cysts being sufficient to cause infection. After excystatio n, the organism is a replicative trophozoite which may attach to the small bowel wall. Giardia intestinalis does not invade the bowel wall, Trophozoit es may encyst and be shed in faeces for future ingestion by another host. D iagnosis of infection is by stool examination which may also eliminate othe r possible infectious agents. Small bowel biopsy may be necessary in diffic ult individual cases or to rule out noninfectious illnesses, and stool ELIS A may serve for large population screening examinations. The mainstay of tr eatment is metronidazole 250-400 mg three times per day by mouth for 5 days .