Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Giardiasis

Yeah, one of the local small water companies has a "boil warning" out to its customers as "brain eating" organisms have been found in its water supply.

Younger fellows probably cannot relate to this, but think of a colonoscopy purge coupled with violent puking, cramps and fever and one can get an idea of how giardiasis feels.

Do say????

I doubt his hands were contaminated by the blood but rather touching the hide after the elk wallowed in a nasty mud pie on the edge of a beaver pond, not to mention pissing all over himself. Then he puts snow in hand and eats it.

Yeah I kinda assumed the same based on ^that. But just wondered if his doctor just figured he had some intestinal bug and prescribed the antibiotics or specifically identified Giardia. I have no idea if specific antibiotics are required to knock out a specific bug or what.

Giardia is a Protist, not a bacteria. Sulfamethoxsasole/Trimethoprim (Septra) is the drug of choice,as it is one of the few antibiotics that will work on Giardia.

Now that is a possible scenario that would explain this whole thing.

Rock Chuck and I just completed a hunt a few weeks back. We camped down by the creek in a low draw. We hunted up high and would have liked to have camped up there for the very nice available campsites, to save a couple thousand feet of elevation change each day, and it's just a beautiful area. However there is no water that we know of up there and rather than pack water, we stayed low. On day two, up high and several miles from camp we found water...a shallow spring that was being used as an elk wallow. We decided no amount of filtering or other treatments would satisfy us to use that for a water source. Needless to say, we didn't move camp!

I am a fan of tinidazole. 1 dose, 92% efficacy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88965/table/T1/

Thats the one I took. 4 horse pills worth. It was amazing. I took it at 5 PM with food. It made my stomach upset, gave me heartburn, and a bit of nausea. By morning, my stomach was done doing flips, I was done 'excreting' and felt much, much better. In fact, I went to work in the afternoon. I was weak but wasn't de-gassing or squirting.

The most striking symptom was the belches. They tasted like a good belch after about a half can of carbonated beverage - kind of metallic and burned your throat a bit. When reading of symptoms, it is described a metallic taste. I'd describe it as a carbonated beverage burp.

Of all the possible causes I've read on this thread, this makes the most sense. My first cut is always on the twins to keep proof of sex on both rear quarters. Inevitably, you have to cut the Johnson off and skin ahead of it to get the hide pulled back. We might have a winner.

How would giardia get in snow? It's a parasite that, as far as I know, doesn't live at high altitude where snow is formed in the air. I can see a very slim possibility of snow on the ground getting contaminated after it falls but new snow should be safe.

It gets in the snow the same way it gets in the water.

Those sparkling mountain streams and late summer snowbanks may be contaminated by Giardia , an intestinal parasite that loves to make you miserable. Often called "beaver fever", this parasite can be carried by all mammals, including small voles who tunnel in snow.

Elk are known to carry giardia. If elk have been wandering around in the snow, it is likely contaminated.

Once again, the "expert" has spoken. From Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim

Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or co-trimoxazole (abbreviated SXT, TMP-SMX, TMP-SMZ, or TMP-sulfa) is a sulfonamide antibiotic used in the treatment of a variety of bacterial infections. It consists of 1 part trimethoprim to 5 parts sulfamethoxazole.

Because it has a higher incidence of adverse effects, including allergic responses (see below), its use has been restricted in many countries to very specific circumstances where its improved efficacy has been demonstrated.

Side effects

There has been concern about the use of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, since it has been associated with frequent mild allergic reactions and serious adverse effects, including Stevens�Johnson syndrome, myelosuppression, mydriasis, agranulocytosis, and severe liver damage (cholestatic hepatosis, hepatitis, necrosis, and fulminant liver failure).[10] .... Renal impairment, up to acute renal failure, and anuria have also been reported. These side effects are seen especially in the elderly and may be fatal.[1

Protozoal infections

Co-trimoxazole is used to treat isosporiasis[9] and cyclospora cayetanensis infection, and for prophylaxis against cerebral toxoplasmosis in HIV patients.

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In most countries, the drug used to treat giardiasis is metronidazole. The current research evidence suggests albendazole is probably as effective, but has fewer side effects (gastrointestinal and neurological) and is more convenient to take or administer. Both need a five to 10 day long course; albendazole is taken once a day, while metronidazole needs to be taken three times a day. There is very little evidence to support using any other drugs (tinidazole, quinacrine, furazolidone and nitazoxanide) in preference to these two main options.[1

We're talking 2 different things - new snow and old snow. Yes, old snow can be contaminated in many ways. New snow, where there are no animal tracks anywhere around, should be clean.

As I remember my case of giardia it was perilous to fart unless you were sitting on the throne.

smokepole, that wasn't nice...

Yep.

Today was the first day I tried that trick - successfully I might add.

I'm sure you guys are glad to put that behind you. So to speak.

GROAN!!!!

Probably a different symptom, but I read something about snow getting a red tint on its surface which was some type of growth or something that would make you sick. I am guessing it had to be at least a few days old???

I am also wondering if a back country hiker/hunter could carry a prescription or some medicine to begin treating the sympons immediately. Might speed the recovery if you could begin taking it as soon as it started.