Fact sheets

Giardiasis fact sheet (PDF 213KB)

Public Health action

• Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic. Therapeutic Guidelines Limited: Melbourne

• Communicable Diseases Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners. Department of Health, Western Australia

• OD 0101/08 Exclusion Guidelines for Patients with Enteric Infections and Their Contacts

Additional sources of information

• Control of Communicable Diseases Manual

Exclusion

Cases:

Exclude from work, school, child care and other situations where disease transmission may occur for 24 hours after case becomes asymptomatic and has formed stools.
Enteric precaution for hospitalised or institutionalised patients.

Definition

• Laboratory demonstration of Giardia lamblia cysts or trophozoites in stool, duodenal fluid or small bowel biopsy

• Repeated examination of stool may be necessary. If the level of clinical suspicion is high, examination of duodenal aspirate may be indicated