Fecal samples were obtained from 722 of 820 children attending 7 nursery schools and 1 primary school in the city of Santiago, Chile. Microscopy of formol-ether concentrates showed that 33% of the children were infected with Giardia lamblia. Prevalences among primary school students (5-10 years of age) of G. lamblia (38%), Endolimax nana (43%), and Entamoeba coli (25%) were overall higher than among nursery school students (3 months-5 years of age; prevalences 29%, 21%, and 16%, respectively). There was no apparent association between socio-economic intake and levels of G. lamblia infection: the private nursery school had the highest recorded level of infection (40%). One hundred sixty-two triplicate stool specimens were used to compare microscopy with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of Giardia fecal antigens. The ELISA was highly sensitive and specific either visually (95% and 97%, respectively) or by optical density determination (99% and 96%, respectively). Incorporation of non-immune rabbit immunoglobulin-coated control wells did not enhance sensitivity and specificity. The antigen detection ELISA is an extremely effective tool for the epidemiological investigation of giardiasis.