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Giardia lamblia carriage in Israeli Bedouin infants: risk factors and consequences
D Fraser1, N Bilenko, R J Deckelbaum
1S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel. fdrora@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
Insights
Giardia lamblia carriage in infants did not correlate with diarrhea but was linked to faltering growth. This growth impact appears subsequent to infection, warranting further research into Giardia
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Giardiasis, caused by Giardia lamblia, is a prevalent protozoan infection with diverse clinical presentations.
- Understanding factors associated with Giardia lamblia carriage is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between Giardia lamblia carriage and environmental, family, illness, and growth characteristics in infants.
- To determine the temporal relationship between Giardia lamblia infection and faltering growth.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 234 Bedouin infants from birth to 18-23 months.
- Monthly home visits for stool sample collection, illness history, and environmental assessment.
- Analysis of growth parameters (weight-for-age, weight-for-height z scores) in relation to Giardia lamblia carriage duration.
Main Results:
- No significant associations were found between Giardia lamblia carriage length and environmental, family, or illness characteristics.
- Children with Giardia lamblia carriage exhibited significantly lower weight-for-age and weight-for-height z scores compared to uninfected children.
- Faltering growth was observed to follow Giardia lamblia infection, not precede it.
Conclusions:
- Giardia lamblia carriage in infants is not associated with diarrhea episodes.
- The study highlights a significant impact of Giardia lamblia on infant growth, occurring subsequent to infection.
- Further research is recommended to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the growth faltering associated with Giardia lamblia infection.
Abstract:
Giardiasis is a common protozoan infection, with varying clinical manifestations. We investigated the associations between Giardia lamblia carriage and environmental, family, illness, and growth characteristics. Bedouin infants (n=234) were followed from birth to age 18-23 months. At monthly home visits, stool samples were obtained, history of illness was determined, and an environmental assessment was done. The comparisons presented are between 4 groups defined by length of carriage of G. lamblia. Study children had a mean+/-SD of 4.1+/-2.9 diarrhea episodes. No illness, environmental, or family characteristics were associated with length of carriage. Significant differences were found in weight-for-age and weight-for-height z scores between the never-positive-for-G. lamblia group and all other carriage groups combined. Faltering growth was shown to be subsequent to G. lamblia infection rather than preceding it. Our findings confirm that G. lamblia carriage is not associated with diarrhea. However, the effect on growth deserves further investigation.