Detection of Giardia lamblia Antigen in Children Living in a Peruvian Periurban Shantytown (Pueblo Joven)

Stool microscopy and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Giardia lamblia antigen detection were compared for detecting G. lamblia in 30 Peruvian infants. Of 1,131 fecal specimens, G. lamblia was detected by ELISA alone in 44, by microscopy alone in 17, and by both methods in 91. In another group of 17 children negative for G. lamblia by stool microscopy, 6 had G. lamblia detected by ELISA or duodenal aspiration: 2 only by ELISA, 1 only by duodenal aspirate examination, and 3 by both examinations. The ELISA is useful for the detection of G. lamblia in fecal specimens but compared to stool microscopy does not significantly increase the detection of cases. Giardia lamblia is one of the most common intestinal parasites that infect children in both developed and devel-oping countries (2, 5, 7). Difficulties are encountered in the detection of G. lamblia because of its erratic excretion pattern (3). If many G. lamblia infections of children were not detected by stool examination, then prior conclusions concerning diarrhea and growth of the children would be suspect