The key difference between Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica is that Giardia lamblia is an intestinal protozoan that causes giardiasis, while Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan that causes amoebiasis.
Numerous protozoa can infect and inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Many diverse protozoan groups are included in this list. The majority of these protozoa are non-pathogenic or only cause mild diseases. However, some of them can cause serious severe diseases under certain circumstances. For example, Giardia lamblia can cause acute diarrhoea that can lead to chronic diarrhoea and nutritional diseases whereas, Entamoeba histolytica causes potentially lethal systematic diseases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Giardia Lamblia
3. What is Entamoeba Histolytica
4. Similarities – Giardia Lamblia and Entamoeba Histolytica
5. Giardia Lamblia vs Entamoeba Histolytica in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Giardia Lamblia vs Entamoeba Histolytica
What is Giardia Lamblia?
Giardia lamblia is an intestinal protozoan that causes giardiasis. It is a flagellated parasitic organism. Normally, it is colonized and reproduced in the small intestine. Giardia lamblia is an anaerobe. This parasite causes a diarrhoeal condition known as giardiasis. The parasite is attached to the epithelium by a ventral adhesive disc (sucker). Moreover, it reproduces through binary fission. Giardiasis does not spread through the bloodstream and does not spread to other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. But it remains confined to the lumen of the small intestine of humans.
Figure 01: Giardia Lamblia
The chief sources of giardia infection are untreated drinking water, food and soil contaminated with human faeces and sewage. Giardia lamblia has an outer membrane (cyst) that protects it from chlorine disinfection. Giardia trophozoites absorb their nutrient from the lumen. Their life cycles have two main stages: the trophozoite stage and the cyst stage. The replicative form is trophozoite, which is a motile pear-shaped cell. It can divide through binary fission and make more trophozoites. Trophozoite converts to a cyst. Cysts pass through the large intestine of the host and are shed in the faeces. These cysts are resistant to environmental stressors and can survive for weeks to months in a moist environment. Moreover, cysts remain dormant until they are ingested by a new host animal. The treatment for giardiasis is usually antibiotics such as metronidazole.
What is Entamoeba Histolytica?
Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan that causes amoebiasis. It is an anaerobic parasite that belongs to the genus Entamoeba. It predominately infects humans and other primates. Entamoeba histolytica is estimated to kill more than 55,000 people each year. The cysts are normally present in water, soil, or food. The infection can occur when a person contacts contaminated water, soil, or foods.
Figure 02: Entamoeba Histolytica
When cysts are swallowed, they cause infections by converting to trophozoites (excystation) in the digestive system. Entamoeba histolytica may reach the bloodstream and causes systematic infections. It can infect vital organs of the human body such as the liver, lungs, brain, spleen, etc. Antibiotics such as nitroimidazole can be used for the treatment of infection of Entamoeba histolytica.
What are the Similarities Between Giardia Lamblia and Entamoeba Histolytica?
- Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica are two intestinal protozoa that infect the gastrointestinal tract of humans.
- Both are eukaryotes.
- They have a cyst stage and trophozoite stage in their life cycle.
- Both can cause diarrhoeal disease.
- The cysts of both protozoa can be found in contaminated water, soil and foods.
What is the Difference Between Giardia Lamblia vs Entamoeba Histolytica?
Giardia lamblia is an intestinal protozoan that causes giardiasis, while Entamoeba histolytica is an intestinal protozoan that causes amoebiasis. So, this is the key difference between Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica. Furthermore, Giardia lamblia does not cause systematic infections, while Entamoeba histolytica causes systematic infections and damages the vital organs of the human body.
The following infographic compiles the differences between Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Giardia Lamblia vs Entamoeba Histolytica
Intestinal protozoa cause gastrointestinal infections. They are normally spread by the faecal-oral route. Therefore, these infections are common in areas with inadequate sanitation and water treatment. Giardia lamblia causes giardiasis, while Entamoeba histolytica causes amoebiasis. Both are intestinal parasites. Thus, this is the summary of the between difference Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica.
Reference:
1. “Intestinal Protozoa.” Tulane Edu.
2. “Parasites – Amebiasis.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Dec. 2015.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Giardia intestinalis trophozoite” By Servier Medical Art – (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Entamoeba histolytica” By Stefan Walkowski – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia