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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />C. GIARDIA LAMBLIA <br /> <br />1 . Genera 1 <br />Giardia lamblia is a flagellated protozoa parasite of the small intes- <br />tine. It exists in the aquatic environment. most commonly in the cyst <br />form, ranging from 7 to 15 microns in size. It has been identified as a <br />,pathogen to man, causing diarrhea, cramps, nausea, weight loss, and <br />dysentary. Infection by Giardia accompanied by any of these symptoms is <br />commonly termed giardiasis. <br /> <br />Giardia 1 amblia has been identified in many streams in the Rocky Moun- <br />tains and other ranges in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Its <br />sources have been traced to beavers, as well as other infected animals <br />and humans. It is assumed to be present to some degree in most mountain <br />surface waters of Colorado. It has been found that giardiasis is ende- <br />mic in Colorado and that drinking untreated mountain water is an impor- <br />tant cause of endemic infection. Colorado has experienced more outbreaks <br />of giardiasis than any other state, the first being in Aspen in 1965. <br />Since then,cases have occurred in Estes Park, Boulder and Vail. Most <br />outbreaks were in recreational areas serving tourists, where water <br />systems were small and no treatment other than disinfection was provided. <br />In other cases, the outbreak was linked to heavy contamination of a <br />water supply due to a sewer line break or well infiltration. <br /> <br />2. Resistance to Disinfection <br />The current concept is that Giardia cysts are highly resistant to <br />chlorine disinfection, although current Tesearch is being conducted to <br />verify this hypothesis. Since the organism is enclosed in a shell, very <br />high concentrations of chlorine have been required to kill it. In <br /> <br />IV-5 <br />