What is the Difference Between Coccidia and Giardia

The key difference between Coccidia and Giardia is that Coccidia is a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites that causes a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract called coccidiosis. At the same time, Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites that causes a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract called giardiasis.

Coccidia and Giardia are intestinal parasites that cause parasitic diseases, coccidiosis, and giardiasis, respectively, in the intestinal tract of animals. Coccidiosis affects small flocks worldwide, causing losses in performance and mortality. On the other hand, giardiasis affects humans, animals such as dogs, cats, and wild animals around the words causing diarrhoeal symptoms.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Coccidia 
3. What is Giardia
4. Similarities – Coccidia and Giardia
5. Coccidia vs Giardia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Coccidia vs Giardia

What is Coccidia?

Coccidia is a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites. The parasites in this subclass must live and reproduce within an animal cell. Therefore, coccidian parasites infect the intestinal tracts of animals and cause a disease called coccidiosis. Coccidian parasites are the largest group of apicomplexan protozoa. The transmission of coccidiosis occurs through the spores in the faeces of the infected animals. Some animals affected by this disease are cats, mice, goats, etc. Some species of Coccidia, such as Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium, are even transmissible to humans.

Coccidian infections show typical symptoms such as diarrhea, inflammation, intestinal pain or damage, vomiting, irregular nutrition, weight loss or reduced growth development, anemia, and exhaustion. Coccidian infections can be diagnosed through physical examination and fecal smears. Furthermore, coccidiosis is mainly treated by administering medications called coccidiostats (antiprotozoal agents) that stop Coccidia from reproducing and by administering sulfa-based antibiotics.

What is Giardia?

Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoa. These intestinal parasites colonize and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates. This colonization leads to a disease called giardiasis. The species in this genus were first described by a Dutch microscopist known as Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1681. Giardia species spreads easily from person to person or animal to animal through Giardia cysts in contaminated water, food, surfaces, or objects.

The typical symptoms of giardiasis may include having 2 to 5 loose stools per day (diarrhea), progressively increasing fatigue or tiredness, stomach cramps, bloating, gas, nausea, dehydration, fever, itchy skin, hives, swelling of the eyes and joints. Moreover, giardiasis can be diagnosed through physical examination, stool test, and upper endoscopy. Furthermore, giardiasis can be treated through antibiotics with antiparasitic effects such as metronidazole, tinidazole, and nitazoxanide.

What are the Similarities Between Coccidia and Giardia?

• Coccidia and Giardia are intestinal parasites that cause parasitic diseases in the intestinal tract of animals.
• Both intestinal parasites can cause similar symptoms after infection, such as diarrhea, intestinal pain, fatigue, etc.
• Infections caused by both intestinal parasites can be diagnosed through physical examination and stool tests.
• Infections of both intestinal parasites can be treated through antiprotozoal parasites.

What is the Difference Between Coccidia and Giardia?

Coccidia is a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites that cause a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract of animals called coccidiosis. At the same time, Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites that cause a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract called giardiasis. Thus, this is the key difference between Coccidia and Giardia. Furthermore, the symptoms of Coccidia infection include diarrhea, inflammation, intestinal pain or damage, vomiting, irregular nutrition, weight loss or reduced growth development, anemia, and exhaustion. On the other hand, the symptoms of the Giardia infection include diarrhea, progressively increasing fatigue or tiredness, stomach cramps, bloating, gas, nausea, dehydration, fever, itchy skin, hives, and swelling of the eyes and joints.

The infographic below presents the differences between Coccidia and Giardia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Coccidia vs Giardia

Intestinal parasites, also known as parasitic worms, are one of the main types of microscopic organisms in humans. They are most commonly found in the small intestine and large intestine. Coccidia and Giardia are intestinal parasites that cause parasitic diseases, coccidiosis and giardiasis, respectively. Coccidia is a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate intracellular parasites, while Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites. So, this summarizes the difference between Coccidia and Giardia.

Reference:

1. “Coccidia.” Companion Animal Parasite Council.
2. “Giardia.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Coccidia oocyst 20060326” By Joelmills at the English-language Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Giardia intestinalis (259 17)” By Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. – Author’s archive (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia