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Giardia and giardiasis 1

Part 1 of 2
Published on May 29, 2025   35 min

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0:00
Hello, I'm Sandipan. I'm a scientist in the Division of Parasitology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections, India. For over three decades, my research has focused on gastrointestinal parasites with a particular emphasis on Giardia lamblia. Today, I'll be presenting a comprehensive talk on this human parasite and the related disease known as giardiasis.
0:31
This is the outline of my talk. The talk will cover the following topics: what giardiasis is, the causative agent, a brief history of this organism, biology of the parasite, transmission, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, diagnostic confirmation, asymptomatic carriage and related complications, the need for differential diagnosis, and finally, treatment and points of control.
1:02
According to WHO, diarrheal disease is the third leading cause of death in children under the age of five. Usually, an infection in the gastrointestinal tract with either bacterial, viral, or parasitic organisms leads to diarrhea. Giardiasis is the most commonly reported diarrheal disease of parasitic origin in humans and animals caused by a single-celled organism called Giardia. This is a picture of this well-known pathogen. Giardiasis is reported from all over the world, from arctic to tropic. It is in the top 10 parasitic infections worldwide and a major cause of pediatric diarrhea. Giardiasis is usually never fatal. In most cases, it is self-limiting in immunocompetent individuals. Giardiasis may cause death in very rare cases, primarily in infants or malnourished children. In 2010, the World Health Organization estimated that giardiasis was responsible for 171000 disability-adjusted life years. Although giardiasis has been around for thousands of years, it was neglected for its relatively benign nature. Most cases do not require hospitalization. Along with this, it is mostly reported from developing countries in the tropics with poor sanitary conditions, and it is only in the early 2000s that Giardia was recognized as an important public health problem. Later in 2004, it was included in the WHO's neglected disease initiative list.

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