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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2007;298(17):1998.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 142 words of the full text and any section headings.

An international team of scientists has published the complete genome of Giardia lamblia, one of the most common eukaryotic human parasites in the United States (Morrison HG et al. Science. doi: [published online ahead of print September 28, 2007]).

Giardia causes more than 20 000 intestinal infections a year, often through contact with contaminated drinking or swimming water. It is a major cause of diarrheal disease in children in day care centers.

An international team of scientists has published the complete genome sequence of Giardia lamblia, a common human parasite. (Photo credit: Joel Mancuso/University of California, Berkeley)

While there are available treatments for Giardia infection, new therapies are needed because chronic giardiasis is difficult to eliminate. Analysis of the Giardia genome revealed the parasite makes several proteins that could be promising targets for new drugs or vaccines.

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