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{{Taxobox
|name =Giardia
|kingdom =Protista
|sub-kingdom =Biciliata
|phylum =Metamonada
|super-class =Eopharyngea
|class =Trepomonadea
|sub-class =Diplozoa
|super-order =
|order =Giardiida
|sub-order =
|super-family =
|family =Diplomonadidae
|sub-family =
|genus =Giardia
|species =
}}
[[Image:Giardia lamblia life cycle.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Giardia lamblia life cycle'' - Wikimedia Commons]]
[[Image:Giardia lamblia.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Giardia lamblia'' - Janice Carr]]
[[Image:Giardia.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Giardia'' - Joaquim Castellà Veterinary Parasitology Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona]]
[[Image:Giardia cyst.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Giardia'' cyst - Courtesy of the Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine]]
==Overview==
These protozoan parasite are found in humans as well as wild and domestic animals. They are a common cause of severe [[Diarrhoea|diarrhoea]] as part of the clinical symptoms [[Giardiasis|giardiasis]].
==Recognition==
''Giardia spp.'' are flagellate protozoa with 8 flagella, 6 of which emerge from the body and are used in motility. They are 15-20μm long, pear shaped with a flat ventral surface. The most unique feature of this protozoa is the presence of a large adhesive disk in the flat surface that is used for attaching to the intestinal mucosa.
==Life Cycle==
*Simple and direct
*Trophozoites attach to intestinal wall
*Reproduce by binary fission
*Form cysts of 10μm
**Multi-nucleate cysts formed '''intermittently'''
**Immediately infective when passed in faeces
*Prepatent period of 5-6 days
==Pathogenesis==
*Commonest cause of protozoal [[Diarrhoea|diarrhoea]] of man in the UK
*Common in domesticated animals
*Infections often asymptomatic in domestic animals
**Can cause villous atrophy leading to malabsorption
**Infection can persist for weeks to months if not treated
==Epidemiology==
*Infection via direct oral-faecal route or through contaminated water source (water-borne)
*Wild animals may act as a source of infection for humans
**E.g. Beavers
*Divided into 7 species
**''G. duodenalis'' most commonly infects humans
***Some subspecies are zoonotic
{{toplink
{{Learning
|backcolour =
|flashcards = [[Giardia_Flashcards|Giardia Flashcards]]
|linkpage =Parasites
|Vetstream = [https://www.vetstream.com/canis/search?s=protozoa Protozoa]
|pagetype=Bugs
}}
}}
[[Image:Giardia cysts.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Giardia'' cysts from gerbil faecea - H.D.A. Lindquist, U.S. EPA]]
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[[Category:Miscellaneous_Protozoa]]
[[Category:To_Do_-_Parasites]]