ABSTRACT Giardiasis is a widespread intestinal disease that is caused by the flagellate protozoan Giardia lamblia. For a successful pathogenicity, the parasites need to attach to the intestinal cells and evade the host’s defence mechanisms. Previous studies have shown that adhesion molecules localized on the parasite surface and secretory/excretory products, play a crucial role in establishing parasitism. The intestinal junctional complex and the actin microfilaments, which sustain the junctional backbone and the brush borders, are also important during the interaction of G. lamblia with epithelial cells. In order to improve our knowledge in this area, it is important to carry out interaction studies using 3-dimensional epithelial cultures as well as animal models.
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