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Giardia & Giardiasis

Microbe:
Giardia lamblia
Kingdom: Protista

General Overview of Gardia:
Giardia is common in surface water that has come into contact with feces contaminated with these eggs. Water dammed up by beaver is water to stay away from, since their fecal material comes into direct contact with the water. This can turn a backpacking expedition or a day hike into a nightmare. It is very important to make the necessary precautions before you risk being infected.

Prevention, Cure, and/or Treatment of Giradiaosis:
When in the out-of-doors, always try to carry your own water. When this is not feasable, there are some precautionary measures that can be taken. These include:

• Boiling water for at least one minute will kill giardia as well as many other pathogens. One might have to boil it longer in higher elevations.
• Chlorine and Iodine might not be quite as safe, but might be better than nothing.
• Filter water through a commercial filter can can be good, but make sure that you have the right filter. Have one that filters through charcoal with pore sizes small enough to catch giardia, although the smaller the pore size, the faster it will clog up. They can also be very expensive.

There are a few drugs that can treat the symptoms of giardiosis

Diagnosis:
Symptoms might include: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms can last for as much as two months. It is thought that a lot of people could have had giardiosis without even noticing it.

References and Related sites on the web:
[Centers for Disease Control (CDC)]
[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]
[NASA Ames Research Center]

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