Giardia lamblia

Fom: 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, A Roadmap for Testing and Treatment' <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/cfstestingandtreatmentroadmap/home">https://sites.google.com/site/cfstestingandtreatmentroadmap/home</a>
Giardia lamblia (also called Giardia intestinalis) is a protozoan parasite that colonizes and replicates in the small intestine, causing giardiasis. One study found that after giardiasis, at least 5% of patients developed ME/CFS symptoms.<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22316329" target="blank" rel="nofollow">1</a> 

Another study found that giardiasis can trigger ME/CFS which can then last as long as five years; the study also noted that improvements in these ME/CFS symptoms often appear after three years.<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23399438/" target="blank" rel="nofollow">1</a>

Giardia lamblia also predisposes you to acquiring IBS.<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911849" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">1</a>

Hanevik K, Kristoffersen E, Mørch K, Rye KP, Sørnes S, Svärd S, Bruserud Ø, Langeland N. Giardia-specific cellular immune responses in post-giardiasis chronic fatigue syndrome. BMC Immunol. 2017 Jan 28;18(1):5. PMID: 28129747

The role of pathogen specific cellular immune responses against the eliciting pathogen in development of post-infectious chronic fatigue syndrome (PI-CFS) is not known and such studies are difficult to perform. The aim of this study was to evaluate specific anti-Giardia cellular immunity in cases that developed CFS after Giardia infection compared to cases that recovered well. The data show antigen specific cellular immune responses in the groups previously exposed to Giardia and increased sCD40L in fatigued patients.