Giardiasis is a small intestinal infection caused by the single-celled protozoa Giardia. The main symptoms are crampy cramping pain and diarrhea in the abdomen, which may include abdominal cramps, excessive intestinal gas, belching, diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue. People acquire infections by drinking or eating water or food contaminated with feces containing Giardia or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. Doctors confirm the diagnosis of infection by examining or testing the stool. Boiling water kills Giardia protozoa and is therefore the safest way for hikers to ensure that water in streams and lakes is safe to drink.
First, giardiae infection can lead to giardiasis, and people who can access water sources in the wild are susceptible people with this disease
1. Etiology
The pathogenesis of this type of disease is mainly single-cell protozoa, the main development process is not particularly complex, but also relatively simple, generally there are two life periods, including trophozoites and cysts of these two life periods, generally suffering from such diseases in the feces can only be found in the cyst, trophozoites can be found in diarrhea, intestinal pear-shaped flagellar disease is also a more popular disease, the trophozoite is also has a certain reproductive ability, and the resistance of the cyst is also relatively strong, the fecundity is also more obvious.
The main way of infection is to swallow some of the more mature bags, which have a certain impact on the stomach acid, play a stimulating role in the intestine, and will produce diarrhea, which makes people very painful, and it will be more uncomfortable, and should be treated in time to prevent the deterioration of the condition.
2. High incidence of people
Intestinal pear-shaped flagellation is another name for this type of disease, mainly the phenomenon caused by the pear-shaped flagella virus, all over the world, and it is also adapted to warm and humid environments, infection with such viruses will lead to the phenomenon of physical diarrhea, the body will gradually lose weight, and the absorption of nutrients will also be affected to a certain extent.
Giardiasis occurs most often in children in day-care centres, people traveling to developing countries, backpackers and hikers who drink directly from streams and lakes, and people swimming in polluted ponds or lakes. Generally, in special circumstances, it is often infected with intestinal pear-shaped flagellar disease due to tourism, resulting in outbreaks and epidemics, so it is called "tourist diarrhea".
Second, giardiasis has a certain incubation period, after the incubation period, patients will have some digestive tract symptoms and systemic symptoms
1. Incubation period
After the human body is infected with such diseases, there is a certain incubation period, about two weeks or so, generally no more than 45 days, some of these diseases have mild symptoms, some may be more serious, according to the actual situation to take appropriate medical measures for treatment, to prevent the occurrence of lesions, causing other complications. Some infected people have no symptoms, but these people can discharge giardia cysts in their feces, thus infecting others. Symptoms appear about 1 to 2 weeks after infection.
2, Typical symptoms
Typical symptoms include abdominal cramps, excessive bowel gas (flatulence), belching, and foul-smelling watery stools. Nausea may be intermittent. Patients may feel tired and vaguely unwell, and lose their appetite. If left untreated, diarrhea can last for weeks. Lactose intolerance (inability to digest lactose, sugars in breast milk) often occurs in patients with giardiasis, which can lead to diarrhea, excessive bowel gas, and bloating.
3. Rare symptoms
Diarrhea in a small number of patients with giardiasis can last longer. These people may not be able to adequately absorb nutrients from food (called malabsorption), resulting in significant weight loss. Rarely, chronic giardiasis can lead to slow growth and development in children (called growth retardation).
Third, Giardiasis can be prevented and treated, the following will take you to a specific understanding of the control of Giardiasis
1. Diagnosis
The easiest way to diagnose Giardiodiasis is to detect proteins (antigens) or DNA released by Lambert's flagellate in the stool. Microscopic examination of stool samples also reveals parasites. However, long-term infection can pass the parasite irregularly, so repeated stool microscopy is often required. If these tests do not determine the cause of intestinal symptoms, doctors can use a curved visual catheter (endoscope) to examine the upper part of the digestive tract, including the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). Doctors can use this procedure to obtain a sample of the contents of the small intestine for examination.
2. Treatment
Symptomatic infected patients may be treated with oral metronidazole, tinidazole, or nizonide. Tinidazole requires only one dose, and metronidazole needs to be taken 3 times a day for 5 to 7 days, the former has fewer side effects than the latter. Nausea, vomiting, flushing, and headache can occur in people who drink alcohol within a few days of taking metronidazole or tinidazole. Nizonit is available in liquid dosage forms for children and is also available in tablet form. Take twice daily for 3 days. It has fewer side effects.
Pregnant women should not take metronidazole or tinidazole. The safety of nizoxanib in pregnant women has not been evaluated. Therefore, if possible, treatment of pregnant women should be postponed until the postpartum period. If the symptoms are severe and treatment cannot be delayed, paronomycin can be selected. Even after the infection is cured, patients may develop lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome. Avoiding dairy products can be helpful for lactose intolerant patients.
3. Prevention
Preventive measures for giardiasis include proper disinfection of public water (including drinking water and water in swimming pools), strict hygiene when preparing food, good personal hygiene practices (e.g., thorough hand washing after going to the toilet), and avoiding contact with feces during sexual intercourse.
Boiling water kills the parasite and is therefore the safest way for hikers to ensure that water in streams and lakes is safe to drink. Water from streams and lakes can sometimes be disinfected using chlorine-containing compounds or iodine. However, this method is less reliable because its effect depends on the degree of turbidity or mud (turbidity) and temperature of the water. The chlorine in conventional drinking water is not enough to kill the sacs.
Water filters using reverse osmosis or labeled "NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or ANSI Test and Certification Can Remove/Reduce Cuffs" can remove giardia cysts and other protozoa and bacteria from water, but other filter systems may not be effective.
Conclusion: Giardia does occur all over the world, the high incidence areas are warm and humid tropical rainforest areas, and people who travel into tropical rainforest areas are the high incidence of this disease. Because the quality of their drinking water is not guaranteed in the travel environment, the introduction of water containing giardiasis will cause giardiasis and a series of manifestations such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.