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Giardiasis: A review on assemblage distribution and epidemiology in India

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Abstract

Giardiasis is a significant cause of diarrheal disease and associated morbidity in children and adults worldwide. In addition to diarrhea, it can also lead to malnutrition and cognitive deficits in children from developing countries. Giardia duodenalis is considered to be a species complex of several assemblages, of which assemblage A and B are predominantly associated with human infections. Assemblage type has been associated with risk of occurrence of symptoms and duration of illness. Hence genotyping of giardial isolates may help understand better the epidemiology and transmission ecology of the disease in a particular setting or area. In India, prevalence rates of Giardia infection in patients with diarrhea range from 0.4% to 70%, and asymptomatic cyst passage has been found to be as high as 50% in rural southern India. In this review, the global distribution of giardial assemblage, zoonotic transmission and the association of assemblage with disease have been discussed, followed by epidemiology of giardiasis in India.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr S S Jeremiah for help with drafting Fig. 1.

Author contributions

SL and SSRA collected and analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. GK critically revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, 632 004, India

    Shakti Laishram

  2. Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, 632 004, India

    Gagandeep Kang & Sitara Swarna Rao Ajjampur

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  1. Shakti Laishram
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  2. Gagandeep Kang
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  3. Sitara Swarna Rao Ajjampur
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Correspondence to Sitara Swarna Rao Ajjampur.

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Department and institution where the work was done: Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore

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Laishram, S., Kang, G. & Ajjampur, S.S.R. Giardiasis: A review on assemblage distribution and epidemiology in India. Indian J Gastroenterol 31, 3–12 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12664-012-0161-9

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