What is the parasite that causes giardiasis? How is it transmitted and what are the typical manifestations of the disease?
Giardiasis is a protozoal infection caused by Giardia lamblia, or simply giardia, a flagellate protozoan. The transmission is fecal-oral, through contaminated water and food or carried by insects like cockroaches and flies. Giardiasis manifests like amebiasis, as enteritis with diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and anemia.
