Veterinary advice should be sought from your local veterinarian before applying any treatment or vaccine. Not sure who to use? Look up veterinarians who specialize in poultry using our directory listing. Find me a Vet
Giardiasis
Giardiasis is a zoonotic gastrointestinal disease caused by the flagellated protozoa Giardia. Giardia infects a wide range of species and can be transmitted between wildlife and domestic animals and humans and animals. The most common carriers of Giardia are dogs, cows and rats. There are three species of Giardia that have been reported in birds: G. ardeae, G. psittaci and G. duodenalis.
Giardia infect the small intestine where they damage the tissue, leading to inflammation, nutrient malabsorption (particularly fat and vitamins A, B12, and E), shortened gut lining, and increased gut permeability.
Transmission
Giardia is transmitted fecal-oral route, either by direct contact with an infected host or by ingesting water or food contaminated with feces containing Giardia oocysts or cysts.
Clinical Signs of Giardia in Chickens
Chickens infected with Giardia
may experience weight loss and develop nutrient deficiencies due to the intestine's inability to properly absorb fats and vitamins. Chickens may have greasy feces and gas sounds from the GI tract.
Life cycle
Giardia's life cycle consists of the proliferating trophozoite and the infective cyst stage. It starts by the host ingesting the cysts, which release
trophozoites once they reach the intestines. Once there, the trophozoites replicate asexually where some differentiate into cysts that are expelled in the feces.
Environmental Survival
Giardia cysts are immediately infective and can survive for up to 3 months in cold, wet conditions. Fortunately, direct sunlight is a natural disinfectant but it will take time for the fecal matter and contaminated environment to dry out first.
Diagnosis of Giardiasis in Chickens
Giardiasis is diagnosed by determining the presence of trophozoites in fecal samples or cloacal swabs by immunofluorescence.
Giardiasis Treatment in Chickens
Giardiasis is easily treated using a variety of antiprotozoal medications, including carnidazole, metronidazole, fenbendazole, and toltrazuril.
Case 1: Giardiasis in a Stork Giardia sp. was found in the white stork in The Netherlands for the first time. The Giardia sp. trophozoites that were found in the feces of a 6-wk-old white stork, were examined by light microscopy. The parasites closely resembled Giardia ardeae that had been isolated by others from several species of wading birds belonging to the order Ciconiiformes, sharing a deeply notched adhesive disk, a single caudal flagellum, and a single round median body. Serologically, the parasites did not react with anti-Giardia intestinalis monoclonal antibodies. Although no signs of intestinal disease were observed in the stork chick, the presence of parasites in all stages of development and the huge number of parasites show that the stork chick was experiencing an active infection with G. ardeae type parasites. Ref
