Giardiasis intestinal. Mini-revisión

Giardia intestinalis is a common parasite in our country and the rest of the world and is responsible for several clinical disturbances that include dysentery type diarrheas, recurrent abdominal pain, duodenitis, yeyu- nitis, colecistitis and in some cases toxemias and convulsions. In this paper we review recent concepts of intestinal giardiasis, considering the basic aspects of the biology and physiology of Giardia intestinalis, its morphology and its re- lationship the parasite pathogenicity. We detail the physiopathological mecha- nisms responsible for the different clinic manifestations of giardiasis, the spe- cific laboratory and endoscopic methods of diagnosis and the most recent ad- vances in the treatment and prophylaxis of this disease.