Giardiasis is the infection caused by the parasite Giardia. Giardia intestinalis, as its full name connotes, inhabits the small intestines and steals from the nutrients destined for its host. The organism is present in the human body in two forms, its trophozoite or adult form and the contagious cyst form which is excreted from the body in feces and transmitted to the new host through the fecal-oral route. The fecal-oral transmission of the infective cyst can occur in a variety of scenarios, leading to the transformation of the cyst back into its adult, nutrient-stealing stage in the newly infected person.
Camping or Traveling
A Wisconsin Department of Health Services document on Giardiasis notes that campers and hikers are commonly infected by Giardia by drinking stream water contaminated with the feces of animals or sewage from septic tanks. Beavers which are common inhabitants of stream and free water sources have been implicated in waterborne outbreaks of giardiasis according to this article. Campers and hikers are advised to avoid drinking water directly from streams or lakes, and, if required, it is highly suggested that the raw water be filtered by boiling or treating the water with iodine or hyochlorite solution.
Travelers to underdeveloped countries are at risk as well, because of the less strict standards of sanitation and the more archaic water treatment methods. Well water in these countries can also be contaminated by runoff from stream waters.
Hand-to-Mouth Contact
It appears that the transmission of Giardia is significantly higher in day care center workers and the children who attend them. The changing of diapers and then the handling of toys, bedding or other furniture or equipment exposes other people to the infective cysts, namely children. It then becomes a situation of hand-to-mouth contact, whereby the infection is transferred to the place favored by most young children-their mouth. The Wisconsin bulletin notes that children attending a day care center for greater than 20 hours per week or for greater than six months are at risk for acquiring giardiasis. Also the siblings of those nursery-schooled or day care center children are at risk as well.
Uncooked or Undercooked Foods
Giardia is a common cause of non-bacterial food-poisoning. The Wisconsin Health Department documents that the infective dose, or the minimal dose of the organism that it takes to infect a person, is less than ten cysts. The fecal transmission from food preparers who do not practice sanitary work and food-handling procedures onto the food one consumes is effortless. Giardia does not reproduce in food according to this article, but uncooked or undercooked foods can be harbors of the infection.
The symptoms associated with giardiasis are often regarded as ‘food poisoning’ and may appear up to 4 weeks after the initial contamination. Many of the ‘food poisoning’ symptoms are actually initiated by the body as it attempts to flush the trophozoite form of the organism out of the body before it can turn into the contagious cyst. The symptoms may include diarrhea, stomach cramps, gas, belching, bloating, greasy stools, nausea or upset stomach according to food poisoning lawyer, Eric H. Weinberg. The dehydration that can result from the persistent attempt of the body to flush the infective organism can become the most harmful of all of the symptoms, if not checked.
