Giardia lamblia

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Giardia lamblia is a flagellated enteric protozoan parasite that is found in soil, food, and water (“Giardia lamblia” sec 1). This microorganism tends to live in the small intestines of humans. G. lamblia has two separate morphological stages. The first morphological stage is the trophozoite stage. In the trophozoite stage, this microorganism is shaped like a flattened pear. During this stage, the microbe is about ten to twelve micrometers long and about five to seven micrometers wide. Bilaterally the microbe is symmetrical and has two separate nuclei present. On the anterior side of the organism, there is a large sucking disk. This disk is the mechanism by which the parasite attaches to the mucosa of the host (“Morphology” par 1). The second morphological stage of G. lamblia is the cyst form. The cyst is generally egg-shaped and measures eight to fourteen micrometers in length. The width of the cyst is between seven and ten micrometers. When in this form, the original organelle is duplicated. Instead of just having the two nuclei, the microbe now exhibits four nuclei, four median ...

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