BAX and giardiasis: Giardia infections facilitate apoptosis in IECs by the downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins, including Bcl-2, and the up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic proteins, including Bax, suggesting a potential contribution of caspase-dependent apoptosis signaling pathways in the induction of pathogenesis during giardiasis (51, 70, 73).