**Giardiasis: Livestock and Companion Animals**

**Giardiasis: Livestock and Companion Animals**

10.5772/intechopen.70874

#### Joyce Siwila Joyce Siwila Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

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Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.70874

#### **Abstract**

*Giardia* spp. are flagellates that are found in the intestinal tract of humans and domestic and wildlife animals, including birds and amphibians, worldwide. The genus *Giardia* comprises several species which are morphologically similar. *Giardia* infections have been reported widely in livestock and companion animals with varying prevalence in different parts of the world. Giardiasis, the disease cause by *Giardia*, may result in numerous episodes of diarrhoea, especially in young animals, which in turn adversely affect production resulting in economic loses. The affected animals may also act as a source of zoonotic infections. Evidence of infection in both animals and humans of *Giardia duodenalis* especially of assemblage A and B has firmly established giardiasis as a zoonotic disease. The zoonotic assemblage A and B have been reported in livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs) and companion animals (dogs, cats, horses). However, questions regarding the direct transmission of *Giardia* from domestic animals to humans still need to be explored. Appropriate prevention and control measures are cardinal in preventing both animal and human infections. This chapter discusses *G. duodenalis* infection and the disease including treatment options in livestock and companion animals.

**Keywords:** *Giardia*, *Giardia duodenalis*, giardiasis, livestock, companion animals, treatment
