Again, one must distinguish the rare occasional CDC-published outbreaks,
apparently due to unusual mass exposure (although again I'd suggest,
toddlers or incontinent others contaminating the water while swimming, not
beavers or Giardia cysts persisting after water treatment; and even when
beavers are in the area, so are people); from the daily occasional positives
detected by clinical microbiology labs, where steadily, Giardia is over 80%
of the O&P positives and not identifiable with a "drinking water" outbreak,
but by likely fecal contamination.
At 12:32 AM 9/13/97 +0000, Omar O. Barriga wrote:
>. I remain more inclined toward old-fashioned
>>fecal contamination as a major route for giardiasis in the US. From the
>>clinical microbiologists with whom I've discussed this, cases tend to be in
>>mini-outbreaks not linked by single water supplies, but by close human-human
>>contact.
>>>JerryM
>>Actually, Jerry, all the reports of Giardia outbreaks published by the CDC
>where the source of infection was known were linked to people swiming
>in pools or lakes. I agree with you (with quite a bit of shame) that it
>is surprising how little we know about the transmission of an infection
>that is so prevalent.
> Omar O. Barriga
>>>>>Gerald McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
635 Barnhill Dr., MS A128
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5113
Ph 317-274-2651; FAX 317-278-0643
e-mail: gmclaugh at iupui.edu
