BACKGROUND Giardia intestinalis is a non-invasive protozoan parasite that causes giardiasis in humans, the most common form of parasite-induced diarrhea. Disease mechanisms are not completely defined and very few virulence factors are known. METHODOLOGY To identify putative virulence factors and elucidate mechanistic pathways leading to disease, we have used proteomics to identify the major e...

Experiments were conducted to elucidate the transport behavior of cysts of Giardia and manure suspensions through several aquifer sands. Decreasing the median grain size of the sand resulted in lower peak effluent concentrations and increased deposition of the Giardia and manure particles in the sand near the column inlet. The effluent concentration curves for the manure suspensions also exhibi...

The protozoon Giardia duodenalis is a common gastrointestinal parasite of cats. While most Giardia-infected cats are asymptomatic, acute small bowel diarrhea, occasionally with concomitant weight loss, may occur. Giardia poses a diagnostic challenge, but newer tests, including a commercially available ELISA kit, have improved clinicians' ability to obtain an accurate diagnosis. Several treatmen...

OBJECTIVES Attachment to the small intestinal mucosa is crucial for initiating and maintaining Giardia infection. We tested the effect of isoflavones on Giardia attachment. METHODS We evaluated the effect of formononetin on trophozoite attachment to glass, to intestinal epithelial cell layers in vitro and to murine small intestinal explants, and on the intestinal load in mice. RESULTS We fo...

In June 2005, we collected 115 fecal samples from wild primates in western Uganda and examined them for Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia sp. with the use of immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) detection. We sampled primates from an undisturbed forest in Kibale National Park and from 3 highly disturbed forest fragments outside the park. Of disturbed forest samples, red colobus (Pilocolobus tephrosce...

The occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in Norwegian groundwater wells in bedrock has been investigated for the first time. Wells close to risk areas such as farming and septic tanks were chosen. In all, 20 water samples from 20 different waterworks were collected. The samples were analysed for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, using US EPA Method 1623. Turbidity was also measure...

Giardia intestinalis has been found in a variety of mammals, including humans, and consists of host-specific and zoonotic genotypes. There has been only 1 study of G. intestinalis infection in weasels, but the genotype of its isolate remains unclear. In this study, we report the isolation of Giardia in a ferret exhibited at a pet shop. The isolate was analyzed genetically to validate the possib...

background: this study was conducted to determine of molecular epidemiology of the giardia lamblia by pcr-rflp method in tehran, capital of iran. methods: thirty eight stool samples were randomly selected from 125 patients diagnosed with giardiasis using microscopy in tehran. dna extraction of some samples were performed by phenol/chloroform/isoamyl alcohol method and to raise the sen­sitivity ...

BACKGROUND Members of the Polish Military Contingent (PMC) have been stationed in Afghanistan since 2002. They typically serve in areas characterised by low standards of sanitation which often leads to the development of food- and waterborne diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of Giardia intestinalis infections among Polish soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. The researc...

BACKGROUND Both giardiasis and zinc deficiency are serious health problems worldwide. In Mexico, the prevalence of G. intestinalis was estimated at 32% in 1994. It remains a health problem in northwestern Mexico. Recent surveys (1987, 1995, and 1999) reported zinc deficiency in the Mexican population. The association of giardiasis and malabsorption of micronutrients has been well documented, al...