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Giardia lamblia

The Transfer of Human Infections by Foods

  • Chapter
Giardia and Giardiasis

Abstract

Foods may be involved in the spread of Giardia cysts (Table 1) not because the animal or plant source is a requisite host in the life cycle of the parasite, but because of circumstances that cause food contamination (Bier, 1981; Healy et al., 1976). Although the epidemiology of giardiasis appears to resemble that of amebiasis, it is not identical and is not as well documented. A comparison of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia infections shows that age prevalence curves for E. histolytica infections nearly always indicate a steady level in adults, whereas with Giardia infections there is a marked age decline. Giardiasis is of relatively short duration and, at least in normal adults, rarely exceeds 3 months; in contrast, an E. histolytica infection may last for many years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Microbiology, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C., 20204, USA

    Robert J. Barnard & George J. Jackson

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  1. Robert J. Barnard
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  2. George J. Jackson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Stanley L. Erlandsen

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, 97201, USA

    Ernest A. Meyer

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© 1984 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Barnard, R.J., Jackson, G.J. (1984). Giardia lamblia. In: Erlandsen, S.L., Meyer, E.A. (eds) Giardia and Giardiasis. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0594-9_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0594-9_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0596-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0594-9

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