GIARDIASIS IN MAN

Abstract

Dobell¹ has called attention to the fact that it was Leeuwenhoek in 1861 and not Lamb; who discovered this intestinal flagellate of man. Leeuwenhoek discovered the organism in his own stools. The nomenclatorial status of this flagellate has been a subject for much discussion. For a considerable period it was known as Lamblia intestinalis (Blanchard, 1888) in honor of Lambl who rediscovered the organism in 1859; then by Giardia intestinalis (Lambl) Alexeieff, 1914, which Dobell believes to be its proper name, and by Giardia enterica by Kofoid.² In a study of this question made by Boeck and Stiles,³ the conclusion was reached that Giardia lamblia, Stiles, 1915, and first used by Kofoid and Christiansen⁴ was the proper scientific name of this intestinal flagellate of man. MORPHOLOGY Different species of Giardia have been found parasitic in man, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, mice and frogs, and while they vary from each other