Microbiology - Microbes: Giardia lamblia

Giardia lamblia, which is also known as Giardia duodenalis and Giardia intestinalis, is a parasite that causes giardiasis, which is a gastrointestinal illness. This parasite is a protozoan, which is a single-celled eukaryotic organism. It uses flagella to move around, and it's an aero tolerant anaerobe, which means that it can survive in the presence of oxygen, but does not rely on oxygen for energy production. It lives and replicates in the small intestine of infected humans and animals and is transmitted to the next host via the fecal-oral route, and because beavers are known carriers of giardiasis, this infection is sometimes referred to as beaver fever.

For more details about giardiasis, check out our full length video.