Objective: As a causative agent giardiasis, Giardia intestinalis is a flagellated protozoa, and it is a major problem worldwide. Eight different genotypes have been identified in G. intestinalis by molecular method. It has been reported that the genotypes A and B are related to diseases in human and mammals and different genotypes cause different clinical pictures. In this study, we aimed to determine the distribution of G. intestinalis genotypes in stool specimens of G. intestinalis positive patients by realtime PCR and to present a molecular epidemiological data.

Material and Methods: Between January 2016 and January 2018, stool samples from fifty G. intestinalis cyst and / or trophozoite positive patients were included in the study. Native andlugol-treated stool specimens were microscopically examined. DNA isolation from stool specimens was performed and then analyzed by real-time PCR using specific primers for genotypes A and B.

Results: In stool samples of fifty patients with diagnosis of giardiasis included in our study, genotype A (n=28: 56%), genotype B (n=17: 34%) and both genotype A and genotype B (n=5: 10%) were detected. These genotypes were found in 25 (50%) male, and 25 (50%) female patients.

Conclusion: In conclusion, we investigated G. intestinalis genotypes which cause giardiasis in our country but these genotypes can only be distinguished by molecular methods. We found that G. intestinalis genotype A is slightly more frequent than genotype B. In our country, the data on the molecular epidemiology of G. intestinalis genotypes are very limited. We believe this work will contribute to this.