An up-date on Giardia and giardiasis.
Elin Einarsson1, Showgy Ma'ayeh1, Staffan G Svärd1
1Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, BMC, Box 596, Uppsala University, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
Current Opinion in Microbiology
|November 7, 2016
Summary
Giardia intestinalis infections cause diarrhea in millions annually. Recent research advances explain giardiasis mechanisms, chronic disease, and treatment failures, improving understanding of this common parasitic infection.
Area of Science:
- * Medical Parasitology
- * Infectious Diseases
- * Gastroenterology
Background:
- * Giardia intestinalis is a protozoan parasite responsible for giardiasis, affecting 280 million people yearly.
- * While often asymptomatic or self-resolving, infections can lead to chronic illness, treatment resistance, and post-infectious syndromes like IBS.
- * Understanding the mechanisms behind giardiasis, treatment failures, and associated chronic conditions has been limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To review recent advancements in understanding Giardia intestinalis infections.
- * To elucidate the mechanisms driving giardiasis, chronic disease development, and treatment failures.
- * To explore the causes of post-giardiasis syndromes.
Main Methods:
- * Literature review of recent scientific publications on Giardia intestinalis.
- * Analysis of data pertaining to parasite mechanisms and host-pathogen interactions.
- * Synthesis of findings related to clinical outcomes and treatment efficacy.
Main Results:
- * Significant progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of Giardia intestinalis infection.
- * New insights into factors contributing to chronic giardiasis and therapeutic challenges have emerged.
- * Understanding of the pathogenesis of post-giardiasis syndromes, including IBS and allergies, is improving.
Conclusions:
- * Recent research has shed light on the complexities of Giardia intestinalis infections.
- * This progress offers potential avenues for improved diagnostics and therapeutics for giardiasis and its sequelae.
- * Further investigation is warranted to fully address treatment failures and chronic post-infectious conditions.
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