Screening for the Presence of Giardia lamblia of Water Samples, and Human and Animal Stool Samples from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Morse SW. 1984. Screening for the Presence of Giardia lamblia of Water Samples, and Human and Animal Stool Samples from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. East Tennessee State University
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine if Giardia lamblia is found in stools from animals (including man) or surface waters in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a result of a case of Giardiasis in a resident Of the City of Sevierville, Tennessee, which is adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the study area was expanded to include surface water samples from the City of Sevierville water distribution system. Ten high volume water samples were taken from the study area during the fall of 1983 and spring of 1984. A questionnaire was administered to recreationalists utilizing the National Park to evaluate the possible exposure to Giardia lamblia from potentially contaminated surface water supplies. Finally, human and animal stool samples were examined by the Formalin-Ether Sedimentation Technique in order to estimate the prevalence rate of Giardia lamblia in the study area. Although no Giardia lamblia cysts were found in either the water samples or stool samples, results from the questionnaire indicate that a large number of recreationalists using the Great Smoky Mountains National Park drink surface water without disinfection and thus could be exposed to this pathogen if it were present in the water.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Morse, Stephen
- Date of Issue
- 1984-05
- Publisher
- East Tennessee State University
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, cysts, fecal, Giardia, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, GRSM-01586, hikers, pathogen, questionnaire, recreation, SER, Southeast Region, thesis, water quality