Fun Facts

We chose this organism out of the rest of the parasites because as animal lovers we were curious as to what "beaver fever" entitled. Here are some interesting things we learned throughout our research:

1. The discoverer of Giardia lamblia, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, found it in his own stool in the year 1681 (Stanford).

2. Giardia cysts are so well protected they can even survive exposure to bacteria-killing chemicals such as chlorine (Stanford).

3. It is believed to be diverged from the earliest eukaryotes because it lacks mitochondria, but instead contains two equal-sized nuclei (microbewiki).

4. It is commonly recognized by its "smiley" or "clown face" shape under a microscope (microbewiki).

5. Thirty three percent of people in developing countries have been affected by this parasite (CDC).

6. An estimated 2.5 million cases of Giardia infection are reported in the U.S. each year (Stanford).

7. It only takes 10 cysts for a person to develop giardiasis, but someone infected may spread up to a couple billion cysts in their stool each day (CDC).

8. Even after giardiasis treatment, lasting complications such as lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome can occur (clinicalkey).

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