Giardia and growth impairment in children in high-prevalence settings: consequence or co-incidence?

Purpose of review Giardia is a common intestinal parasite worldwide, and infection can be associated with clear, and sometimes persistent symptomatology. However, in children in high-prevalence settings, it is most often not associated with or is perhaps even protective against acute diarrhea. Nonetheless, recent longitudinal studies in high-prevalence settings increasingly identify an association with long-term outcomes that has been difficult to discern. Recent findings Recent studies have made progress in disentangling this apparent paradox. First, prospective, well characterized cohort studies have repeatedly identified associations between Giardia infection, gut function, and child growth. Second, experimental animal and in-vitro models have further characterized the biological plausibility that Giardia could impair intestinal function and subsequently child development through different pathways, depending upon biological and environmental factors. Finally, new work has shed light on the potential for Giardia conspiring with specific other gut microbes, which may explain discrepant findings in the literature, help guide future higher resolution analyses of this pathogen, and inform new opportunities for intervention. Summary Recent prospective studies have confirmed a high, if not universal, prevalence of persistent Giardia infections in low-and-middle income countries associated with child-growth shortfalls and altered gut permeability. However, the p...
Source: Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTIONS: Edited by Thomas Patterson and Robert Read Source Type: research