Information: - A parasitic disease, also known as parasitosis, is an infectious disease caused or transmitted by a parasite. Many parasites do not cause diseases. Parasitic diseases can affect practically all living organisms, including plants and mammals. The study of parasitic diseases is called parasitology. - Giardiasis ( popularly known as beaver fever ) is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Giardia lamblia ( also sometimes called Giardia intestinalis and Giardia duodenalis ) . The giardia organism inhabits the digestive tract of a wide variety of domestic and wild animal species , as well as humans . It is one of the most common pathogenic parasitic infections in humans worldwide ; in 2013 , there were about 280 million people worldwide with symptomatic giardiasis . - Giardia lamblia, also known as Giardia intestinalis, is a flagellated parasite that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestine, causing giardiasis. The parasite attaches to the epithelium by a ventral adhesive disc, and reproduces via binary fission. Giardiasis does not spread via the bloodstream, nor does it spread to other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, but remains confined to the lumen of the small intestine. "Giardia" trophozoites absorb their nutrients from the lumen of the small intestine, and are anaerobes. If the organism is split and stained, its characteristic pattern resembles the familiar "smiley face" symbol. Chief pathways of human infection include ingestion of untreated sewage, a phenomenon particularly common in many developing countries; contamination of natural waters also occurs in watersheds where intensive grazing occurs. - Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life. This means it forms a synthesis of other disciplines, and draws on techniques from fields such as cell biology, bioinformatics, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, genetics, evolution and ecology. What is the relationship between 'giardiasis' and 'infectious disease'?
The answer to this question is:
medical specialty