 Clinical
Features:
 "Most cases are
asymptomatic. - Clinical manifestations, when
present, include persistent diarrhea,
occasionally dysentery, abdominal
pain, and weight loss.
 Symptoms can be
severe in debilitated individuals."
- Laboratory Diagnosis:
- "Diagnosis is based on
detection of trophozoites in stool
specimens or in tissue collected during
endoscopy.
- Cysts are less frequently
encountered.
- Balantidium coli is
passed intermittently and once outside
the colon is rapidly destroyed.
- Thus stool specimens should be
collected repeatedly, and immediately
examined or preserved to enhance
detection of the parasite."
- Treatment:
- The Medical Letter
recommends tetracycline (Achromycin) as
the drug of choice, with iodoquinol
(Yodoxin, Moebequin) and metronidazole
(Flagyl) as alternatives.
- Tetracyclines is
contraindicated in pregnancy and
in children less than 8 years
old."
- courtesy of the Division of
Parasitic Diseases at the National Center for
Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control
& Prevention
- http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/HTML/Giardiasis.htm
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