Health Care Provider Information on Giardiasis

On this page:
Required Disease Reporting
Parasite Information
Clinical Features
Laboratory Diagnosis
Treatment

Required Disease Reporting

• Reporting Giardiasis
  Healthcare providers and clinical laboratories are required to report cases and suspect cases to the Minnesota Department of Health.
  
  
• Illness-related Restrictions for Food Workers and for Children or Staff in a Child Care or Preschool Setting
  Cases are subject to restriction on child care/preschool attendance and food handling.
  

Parasite Information

• Parasites - Giardia: Pathogen & Environment
  CDC; Causal agent and life cycle.

Clinical Features

• The spectrum varies from asymptomatic carriage to severe diarrhea and malabsorption.
• Acute giardiasis develops after an incubation period of 1 to 3 weeks and usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks.
• Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and weight loss.
• In chronic giardiasis the symptoms are recurrent and malabsorption and debilitation may occur.

Laboratory Diagnosis

• Parasites - Giardia: Diagnosis & Detection
  CDC; Testing, specimen processing, diagnostic findings.
• DPDx – Laboratory Identification of Parasitic Diseases of Public Health Concern: Stool Specimens
  CDC; Information about diagnostic procedures for stool specimens.

Treatment

• Some infections are self-limited and treatment may not be required.
• The prescription drugs metronidazole, tinidazole, and nitazoxanide are the drugs of choice to treat giardiasis.
• Paromomycin is recommended for treatment of symptomatic infection in pregnant women in the second and third trimester.
• Rapid loss of fluids because of diarrhea can be managed by fluid and electrolyte replacement.
• Treatment of asymptomatic carriers generally is not recommended.
• Parasites - Giardia: Treatment
  CDC; Giardiasis treatment information.