Giardia Parasitology Lecture

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the genotypes, life cycle, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of Giardia as discussed in the lecture notes.

Giardia Genotypes A and B

The specific genotypes of Giardia that infect humans, making zoonotic transmission from dogs or cats rare.

Giardia Genotypes C and D

The genotypes of Giardia specific to dogs.

Giardia Genotype F

The genotype of Giardia specific to cats.

Cysts

The infective stage of Giardia that is ingested via fecal-oral transmission and shed immediately in the feces.

Trophozoites

The mobile form of Giardia that replicates in the small intestine, possesses flagellae and two nuclei, and attaches to the intestinal mucosa.

Enterocyte Damage

The result of trophozoite attachment to the small intestine mucosa, leading to sloughing and blunting of the villi.

Maldigestion and Malabsorption

The physiological consequences of villi blunting and enterocyte damage caused by a Giardia infection.

Zinc Sulfate Fecal Flotation

The initial diagnostic test of choice for Giardia; however, it can yield false negatives due to intermittent shedding of cysts.

Direct Saline Fecal Mount

A diagnostic method used to identify mobile trophozoites in a fecal sample.

ELISA

A point-of-care diagnostic kit (such as the IDEXX version) used to detect Giardia in clinical patients.

Fenbendazole

A major drug used for treating clinical Giardia infections in veterinary medicine.

Metronidazole and Febantel

Additional medications mentioned as options for the treatment of Giardia.

Fiber Supplementation

A supportive treatment used to reduce bacterial overgrowth and potentially speed the removal of Giardia by reducing its attachment to the intestine.

Transfaunation

A fecal transplant procedure where feces from a healthy donor is used to reestablish a healthy biome in a sick patient.

Giardia Vaccine

A preventative measure that was discontinued in 2009 due to a lack of interest and use.