Parasite
Giardia duodenalis
Flagellated protozoan with cysts
jee-AR-dee-uh LAM-blee-uh
High-yield clue
Flagellated protozoan + cysts + waterborne exposure clue; G. lamblia is a common synonym.
Overview
A flagellated protozoan, also called G. lamblia or G. intestinalis, used to teach cyst ingestion, waterborne transmission vocabulary, and malabsorption-style educational clues.
Classification
- Protozoan
- Flagellate
- Cyst/trophozoite life-stage vocabulary
Lab & identification clues
- Ova/parasite exam vocabulary
- Antigen test concept
- Pear-shaped trophozoite teaching image
Associations
- Waterborne outbreak vocabulary
- Daycare/travel educational cases
- Malabsorption clue
Commonly confused with
- Entamoeba histolytica
- Cryptosporidium
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.