giardia_benchaid.pub (2024)

FAQs

What does Giardia stool look like? ›

Symptoms of giardiasis may include: Explosive, watery, foul-smelling stools. Greasy stools that tend to float.

Person-to-person contact. You can get infected with giardia if your hands become dirty with feces — parents changing a child's diapers are especially at risk. So are child care workers and children in child care centers, where outbreaks are increasingly common. The giardia parasite can also spread through anal sex.

Results. A test that detects Giardia antigens (positive result) means that the person has giardiasis. If the infected person does not have symptoms of infection, they may be a carrier or have a chronic infection.

The laboratory may need several samples because it can be difficult to detect Giardia in poop. Even if you have a Giardia infection, there may not be enough Giardia germs in every stool sample for the laboratory to find them. Additionally, people with Giardia infections do not pass Giardia germs every time they poop.

Thankfully giardia is quite susceptible to many of our herbal antimicrobials including garlic (11), oregano, and guava leaf (12). Many other herbal antimicrobials are helpful, and in most cases natural treatment for Giardia can be effective in as little as two weeks of herbal treatment.

Children and adults who have giardia infection without symptoms usually don't need treatment unless they're likely to spread the parasites. Many people who do have problems often get better on their own in a few weeks.

It is a common illness that causes diarrhea (loose stool/poop). The most common way people get sick with giardiasis is by swallowing contaminated water, but people can also get sick from contaminated food, surfaces, and objects.

Symptoms usually develop within 7–10 days of exposure to the infection. Most cases resolve after 2–3 weeks. A small number of people can go on to develop long-term (chronic) giardiasis. This can cause prolonged diarrhoea and weight loss; however it is rare among people who are treated for the illness.

What is the treatment for giardiasis? Metronidazole (Flagyl) is the primary drug of choice. However, there are several other prescription medications that are effective. Over–the-counter medications, such as Pepto-Bismol or Kaopectate, should only be used after the evaluation and recommendation of a physician.

However, since the past 30 years of the last century, epidemiology and natural history studies have led to improved understanding of giardiasis as a STI, as a result of oral–anal sexual contact. Studies suggest that Giardia is an increasingly recognized infection that may be underdiagnosed under the STI context.

Can you see Giardia in a fecal float? ›

How is giardiasis diagnosed? A routine fecal flotation test may fail to detect these tiny cysts, which are shed inconsistently in the feces and often require a special zinc sulfate flotation solution. Occasionally, the parasites may be seen on a direct smear of the feces.

Cryptosporidium and giardia have similar symptoms. You need to see a doctor to find out which disease you have. You may have some or all of the following symptoms: foul-smelling or watery diarrhoea.

It Can Cause Digestive Issues. The most common symptom of an active giardia infection is watery diarrhea. The diarrhea may be greenish or yellow in color, or it might be brown, but it is always going to be liquid. There may sometimes be blood present in a dog's stool as a result of giardia as well.

Untreated Giardia infection often goes away by itself. But if it doesn't, it can cause long-term complications for your digestive system, and even your immune system.

Giardiasis, an enteric infection caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis, is a common condition, especially in low-resource settings. Individuals with giardiasis often present with complaints of flatulence and watery diarrhea.

Cryptosporidium and giardia have similar symptoms. You need to see a doctor to find out which disease you have.

Some people with sulfur-smelling stool may have giardiasis (beaver fever).