The infectious disease caused by the giardia parasite, characterized by severe diarrhea, cramping, and malabsorption of nutrients.
From the parasite name 'Giardia' + '-iasis' (a medical suffix meaning 'disease caused by' or 'condition of'). The '-iasis' suffix comes from Greek medical terminology, as in 'psoriasis' or 'ascariasis'.
Giardiasis became increasingly recognized during the 1970s-80s as outdoor recreation and international travel exposed more people to the parasite—it's a modern disease that reveals how human movement spreads ancient microorganisms.
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