Giardia
| Giardia | |
|---|---|
| Giardia trophozoite, SEM | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Phylum: | Metamonada |
| Order: | Diplomonadida |
| Family: | Hexamitidae |
| Subfamily: | Giardiinae |
| Genus: | Giardia Künstler, 1882 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Giardia (/dʒiːˈɑːrdiə/ or /ˈdʒɑːrdiə/) is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing the disease giardiasis. Their life cycle alternates between a swimming trophozoite and an infective, resistant cyst. Giardia were first described by the Dutch microscopist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1681. The genus is named after French zoologist Alfred Mathieu Giard.
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