Introduction

• Cause: Giardia Giardia duodenalis , protozoal disease of small intestine.
• Signs: diarrhea or subclinical (common).
• Diagnosis: fecal examination by various tests.
• Treatment: metronidazole or fenbendazole.
• Prognosis: good for recovery. Persistent infection and reinfection is a problem.
• Interpretation: given relatively high prevalence ofGiardiacysts in normal dog feces, the significance of positive results in dogs with diarrhea needs to be questioned. A course of treatment is almost always warranted (due to possibility of zoonotic infection) but subclinical infection may persist.
  Print off the owner factsheet on Giardiasis Giardiasis to give to your client.

Pathogenesis

Etiology

• Giardiaspp Giardia spp.

Predisposing factors

• Age.
• Crowded kennel conditions.
• Concurrent disease.

Pathophysiology

• Giardiatrophozoites  → attach to small intestinal mucosal epithelium  → mechanical, toxic or immunological mucosal damage → malabsorption and diarrhea.

Timecourse

• Prepatent period = 6-8 days.

Epidemiology

• Trophozoites mature into infective cysts  during intestinal transit → fecal shedding of cysts → ingestion of contaminated food or water.
• Wild animals potential reservoir.

Diagnosis

Treatment

Outcomes