LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Giardia: Giardia Lamblia
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Giardiasis (GEE-are-DYE-uh-sis) is a diarrheal illness caused by a one-celled, microscopic parasite, Giardia intestinalis (... known as Giardia lamblia). Once an animal or person has been infected with Giardia intestinalis, the parasite lives in the intestine and is passed in the stool. Because the parasite is protected by an outer shell, it can survive outside the body and in the environment for long periods of time.
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Giardia lamblia is an infection of the small intestine. It is contracted when a person puts something in their mouth that has been in contact with Giardia lamblia. This most frequently includes contaminated water, (swimming pools, hot tubs, lakes or rivers) though a person can ... be infected by putting their mouth on toys or raw foods.
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Giardia lamblia has a characteristic tear-drop shape and measures 10-15 µm in length. It has twin nuclei and an adhesive disk which is a rigid structure reinforced by supelicular microtubules. There are two median bodies of unknown function, but their shape is important for differentiating between species. There are 4 pairs of flagella, one anterior pair, two posterior pairs and a caudal pair. These organisms have no mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi, or lysosomes.
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Since Giardia lamblia lives in the intestines, millions of these parasites are released with a bowel movement from a human or animal that is infected. Giardia is present in soil, food, water, or on surfaces which have been contaminated from infected feces. Giardiasis mainly acquired when an individual puts something into their mouth which has come into contact with the feces of a person or animal infected with Giardia. Some common sources of contamination are:
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Giardia lamblia, one of the most common human parasites in the United States, causes more than 20,000 intestinal infections a year, often through contact with contaminated drinking or swimming water. In the September 28 issue of Science, an international team led by researchers at the MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) describe the complete genome (genetic sequence) of Giardia, which could lead to the development of new drugs to combat this persistent infection, called giardiasis.
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Giardia lamblia, an intestinal parasite, has been identified as one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States. The name of the illness caused by Giardia lamblia is called giardiasis. Infection occurs primarily in children younger than 5 years old, and in adults between the ages of 25-39. Carrier rates as high as 60% have been found in day care centers and other institutions across the country.
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Giardia Lamblia