Which organisms serve as reservoirs for Giardia?

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Multiple Choice

Which organisms serve as reservoirs for Giardia?

Giardia is transmitted via cysts shed in feces, and a reservoir is any host that maintains the parasite in the environment and can spread it to others. Giardia has multiple reservoir hosts, including humans and various mammals; beavers are a classic reservoir in freshwater systems and have been linked to giardiasis outbreaks in streams and lakes. Because both humans and beavers can harbor and shed infectious cysts into shared water sources, they together serve as reservoirs. The other options are incomplete because Giardia isn’t limited to a single species; cattle, for example, can also carry and shed cysts, but the recognized reservoir relationship commonly cited includes both humans and beavers.

Giardia is transmitted via cysts shed in feces, and a reservoir is any host that maintains the parasite in the environment and can spread it to others. Giardia has multiple reservoir hosts, including humans and various mammals; beavers are a classic reservoir in freshwater systems and have been linked to giardiasis outbreaks in streams and lakes. Because both humans and beavers can harbor and shed infectious cysts into shared water sources, they together serve as reservoirs. The other options are incomplete because Giardia isn’t limited to a single species; cattle, for example, can also carry and shed cysts, but the recognized reservoir relationship commonly cited includes both humans and beavers.

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