Giardiasis prevention

Patients with symptomatic giardiasis and positive stool samples or positive ELISA tests should be treated with metronidazole for 7 days. Patients who fail initial therapy with metronidazole should receive a second course of therapy. Pregnant patients can receive paromomycin 25 to 30 mg/kg per day in divided doses for 7 days. Giardiasis can be prevented by good hygiene and by using caution in food and drink consumption. 

Giardiasis For the treatment of giardiasis caused by Giardia duodenalis (also termed Giardia lamblia) in adults and pediatric patients older than 3 years of age. Trichomoniasis For the treatment of trichomoniasis caused by Trichomonas vaginalis in female and male patients. Because trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease with potentially serious sequelae, partners of infected patients should be treated simultaneously in order to prevent reinfection. 

As in giardiasis, measures to prevent transmission include proper disposal of feces, wastewater treatment, and a filtration step before chlorination in water treatment plants that draw from surface water sources. Cooking kills the oocysts in contaminated foods and boiling for at least one minute wiU make water safe for use. Heating to 160°F is known to kiU the oocysts. Chlorination is ineffective in killing... 

Giardiasis can be prevented by good personal hygiene and by caution in food and drink consumption. Preventive measures are similar to those discussed under amebiasis (see Sanitation and Preventive Measures ). 

Iodine is still commonly used in liquid and sofid forms for use in emergency preparation of drinking water sources. The solid forms are sold commercially by various vendors, and are widely distributed by the U.S. Army for use in austere environments. The U.S. Army iodine water purification tablets release 8 mg/1 iodine per tablet (Department of the Army, 2002). Current guidefines specify two tablets per 1-quart canteen of water with a minimum contact time of 35 min to disinfect and prevent giardiasis (Department of the Army, 2002). Among the species of iodine, elemental iodine (fy) and hypoiodous acid (HIO) are the forms with the greatest biocidal efficacy (White, 1999). At pH 8.0 and 25°C, the concentrations of fy and HIO are approximately equal (Snoeyink and Jenkins, 1980). 

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