Editing Giardia (section)

==Systematics==
About 40 species have been described from different animals, but many of them are probably [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]].<ref name="Meyer1979">{{cite journal |author1=Meyer E.A. |author2=Radulescu S. | year = 1979 | title = ''Giardia'' and Giardiasis | journal = Advances in Parasitology | volume = 17 | pages = 1–47 | pmid = 395833 | doi = 10.1016/S0065-308X(08)60548-5 | quote = no |isbn=9780120317172 }}</ref> Currently, five to six morphologically distinct species are recognised.<ref>{{cite book |first1=R.C. |last1=Brusca |first2=G.J. |last2=Brusca |title=Invertebrates |publisher=Sinauer Associates |edition=2nd |year=2003 |isbn=0878930973 }}</ref> ''[[Giardia lamblia]]'' (=''G. intestinalis'', =''G. duodenalis'') infect humans and other mammals, ''G. muris'' is found from other mammals, ''G. ardeae'' and ''G. psittaci'' from birds, ''G. agilis'' from amphibians and ''G. microti'' from [[vole]]s.<ref name=Adam01/> Other described (but not certainly valid), species include:<ref>{{cite web |title=Giardia Kunstler |date=September 2008 |work=Tree of Life Web Project |url=http://tolweb.org/Giardia/97370/2008.09.02}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*''Giardia beckeri''
*''Giardia beltrani''
*''Giardia botauri''
*''Giardia bovis''
*''Giardia bradypi''
*''Giardia canis''
*''Giardia caprae''
*''Giardia cati''
*''Giardia caviae''
*''Giardia chinchillae''
*''Giardia dasi''
*''Giardia equii''
*''Giardia floridae''
*''Giardia hegneri''
*''Giardia herodiadis''
*''Giardia hyderabadensis''
*''Giardia irarae''
*''Giardia marginalis''
*''Giardia melospizae''
*''Giardia nycticori''
*''Giardia ondatrae''
*''Giardia otomyis''
*''Giardia pitymysi''
*''Giardia pseudoardeae''
*''Giardia recurvirostrae''
*''Giardia sanguinis''
*''Giardia serpentis''
*''Giardia simoni''
*''Giardia sturnellae''
*''Giardia suricatae''
*''Giardia tucani''
*''Giardia varani ''
*''Giardia viscaciae''
*''Giardia wenyoni''
{{div col end}}
Many different species of ''Giardia'' exist, so to differentiate between species, very specific PCR (Polymerase Chain Reactions) have been developed to detect specific ''Giardia'' spp. Gene probe-based detection is also used to differentiate between species of ''Giardia''. A more common and less time-consuming means of identifying different species of ''Giardia'' includes microscopy and immunofluorescence techniques.<ref>{{harvnb|Mahbubani|1992}}</ref>

Genetic and biochemical studies have revealed the heterogeneity of ''[[Giardia lamblia]]'', which contains probably at least eight lineages or [[cryptic species]].<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Thompson RC, Monis PT |title=Variation in Giardia: implications for taxonomy and epidemiology |journal=[[Adv. Parasitol.]] |volume=58 |pages=69–137 |year=2004 |pmid=15603762 |doi=10.1016/S0065-308X(04)58002-8 |series=Advances in Parasitology |isbn=9780120317585 }}</ref>