Giardia intestinalis is a flagellated unicellular eukaryotic anaerobic organism that commonly causes diarrhoea disease throughout the world (Adam, 2001). Entamoeba histolytica is a non-flagellated unicellular eukaryotic (Petri, Singh, and and, 1999) with both aerobic and anaerobic capabilities (Montalvo, Reeves, and Warren, 1971), however it is generally considered to be anaerobic. Both are capable of motility, however the methods for this differ. G. intestinalis possesses flagella, which beat to propel the organism. E. Histolytica uses a psuepodia (false foot), which extends and contracts to pull the organism along.
E. histolytica & G. intestinalis both have cystic and Trophozoite stages, with humans being the only organism involved in the …show more content…
histolytica parasite moves out of the intestinal lumen and into the body of the host. The most common form of Extra-intestinal Amebiasis occurs in the liver (Houpt, Hung, and Petri, 2015) and it can be argued that this is the case due to the close proximity to the hepatic portal vein, which connects the gastrointestinal tract to the liver, however, it should be noted extra-intestinal amebiasis can occur across the body, and this too is likely due to the parasite gaining access to the hepatic portal vein. The symptoms associated with extra-intestinal amebiasis in the liver are amebic liver abscesses, dull abdominal pain and weight loss along with the symptoms presented in intestinal Amebiasis. Other types of extra-intestinal amebiasis include pericardial, genitourinary and cerebral. Cerebral amebiasis is of note because death can ensue within 12-72 hours without treatment. Amebic liver abscesses can rupture, and when this occurs, the parasite can make its way through the diaphragm and into the interpleural space. This can lead to sudden rupture of the peritoneum, which can also be lethal (Houpt, Hung, and Petri, …show more content…
However, there are additional symptoms not associated with Amebiasis such as flatulence, bloating, anorexia and sulphuric burping (Wiser, 2010, pp. 47 – 58). Giardia infection can be distinguished from other parasites, as the stools are often blood/mucus free. This allows some comparison with Amebiasis as the stools produced contain mucus and some may contain blood. Acute Giardiasis often resolves itself within 3-4 days, however it progress to a chronic infection of Giardiasis. The symptoms of this involve recurrent brief episodes of diarrhoea with normal stools in between these episodes. However, these stools can also be mushy or on the contrary, the patient can suffer from constipation. Studies by Zhou et al. in 2003 show that whilst acute Giardiasis can be resolved by T-Cells and interleukin-6, antibodies are generally capable of eliminating the parasites; reinforcing the point that chronic Giardiasis is linked to those who have a lack of secretory immunoglobulin A (Wiser, 2010, pp. 47 –
E. histolytica & G. intestinalis both have cystic and Trophozoite stages, with humans being the only organism involved in the …show more content…
histolytica parasite moves out of the intestinal lumen and into the body of the host. The most common form of Extra-intestinal Amebiasis occurs in the liver (Houpt, Hung, and Petri, 2015) and it can be argued that this is the case due to the close proximity to the hepatic portal vein, which connects the gastrointestinal tract to the liver, however, it should be noted extra-intestinal amebiasis can occur across the body, and this too is likely due to the parasite gaining access to the hepatic portal vein. The symptoms associated with extra-intestinal amebiasis in the liver are amebic liver abscesses, dull abdominal pain and weight loss along with the symptoms presented in intestinal Amebiasis. Other types of extra-intestinal amebiasis include pericardial, genitourinary and cerebral. Cerebral amebiasis is of note because death can ensue within 12-72 hours without treatment. Amebic liver abscesses can rupture, and when this occurs, the parasite can make its way through the diaphragm and into the interpleural space. This can lead to sudden rupture of the peritoneum, which can also be lethal (Houpt, Hung, and Petri, …show more content…
However, there are additional symptoms not associated with Amebiasis such as flatulence, bloating, anorexia and sulphuric burping (Wiser, 2010, pp. 47 – 58). Giardia infection can be distinguished from other parasites, as the stools are often blood/mucus free. This allows some comparison with Amebiasis as the stools produced contain mucus and some may contain blood. Acute Giardiasis often resolves itself within 3-4 days, however it progress to a chronic infection of Giardiasis. The symptoms of this involve recurrent brief episodes of diarrhoea with normal stools in between these episodes. However, these stools can also be mushy or on the contrary, the patient can suffer from constipation. Studies by Zhou et al. in 2003 show that whilst acute Giardiasis can be resolved by T-Cells and interleukin-6, antibodies are generally capable of eliminating the parasites; reinforcing the point that chronic Giardiasis is linked to those who have a lack of secretory immunoglobulin A (Wiser, 2010, pp. 47 –