Although our recent studies have demonstrated Giardia-induced TNFR1-mediated extrinsic and ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis in Caco-2 and HT29 cells (43, 44, 48), the interplay between autophagy and apoptosis in IECs, notably primary epithelial cells, during noninvasive Giardia infections is still unknown and is not elucidated under the present circumtances, and therefore needs to be further investigated. This evidence concerns the gene TNFRSF1A and giardiasis.