IntroductionGiardiasis is an intestinal infection that affects more than two hundred
million people annually worldwide; it is caused by the flagellated protozoan
Giardia duodenalis. In tropical countries and in low or
middle-income settings, like Brazil, its prevalence can be high. There is
currently no systematic review on the presence of G.
duodenalis in patients, animals or water sources in
Brazil.MethodsThis systematic review was performed according to recommendations established
by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
(PRISMA). As databases for our searches, we have used PubMed, Embase, Scopus
and the Brazilian database SciELO using the keywords
Giardia* and
Brazil.ResultsThis systematic review identified research studies related to
G. duodenalis in water, giardiasis in
animals, prevalence of giardiasis across Brazilian regions, genotyping of
strains isolated in humans, and giardiasis in indigenous populations. We
also propose a network of G. duodenalis
transmission in Brazil based on genotypes analyses.ConclusionThis is the first time within the last twenty years that a review is being
published on the occurrence of G.
duodenalis in Brazil, addressing relevant issues such
as prevalence, molecular epidemiology and analytical methods for parasite
detection.