Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 17, 2026

In Vivo Imaging of Leishmania infantum-infected Hamsters by Gingival Inoculation of Axenic Amastigotes Expressing Luciferase
05:55

In Vivo Imaging of Leishmania infantum-infected Hamsters by Gingival Inoculation of Axenic Amastigotes Expressing Luciferase

Published on: April 4, 2025

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

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|March 18, 2000
PubMed

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.

More Related Videos

A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization10:19

A Murine Model of Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization

Published on: November 16, 2016

In Vivo Infection with Leishmania amazonensis to Evaluate Parasite Virulence in Mice06:57

In Vivo Infection with Leishmania amazonensis to Evaluate Parasite Virulence in Mice

Published on: February 20, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Giardiasis01:12

Giardiasis

Giardiasis is a globally prevalent intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis (also known as G. lamblia or G. intestinalis). This flagellated protozoan is the most frequently identified intestinal parasite in the United States and worldwide. Transmission primarily occurs via the fecal-oral route, with infection arising from ingestion of water or food contaminated with cysts. Individuals in low-resource settings, international travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, daycare...
Amebiasis01:28

Amebiasis

Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
Leishmaniasis01:30

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia01:28

Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...