18 Protozoa 1

Question 1

What are the life stages of Giardia?

Answer 1

Cyst and trophozoite

Question 2

How do Giardia trophozoites multiply?

Answer 2

Binary fission

Question 3

What is the infective stage of Giardia?

Answer 3

Cyst

Question 4

Do Giardia cysts survive well in the environment?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

Each Giardia cyst contains ____ trophozoites.

Answer 5

2

Question 6

T or F: Giardia is zoonotic.

Answer 6

VERY TRUE

Question 7

T or F: many Giardia infections are asymptomatic.

Answer 7

T

Question 8

What are the clinical signs of Giardiasis?

Answer 8

Chronic or intermittent diarrhea
Steatorrhea
Mucus in stool
Weight loss
Slow growth
Borborygmi

Question 9

What is the function of the ventral disk on Giardia?

Answer 9

Attaches to enterocytes

Question 10

What is the pathogenic stage of Giardia?

Answer 10

Trophozoite

Question 11

What effects do Giardia trophozoite attachment have on the hosts enterocytes? What can this do to the intestinal microbiota?

Answer 11

Increased epithelial permeability, loss of brush border, villus flattening.

This can cause overgrowth of intestinal bacterial flora.

Question 12

From least to most sensitive, what are the diagnostic methods for Giardia used in a typical clinic?

Answer 12

Direct smear, fecal float, ELISA (4Dx Snap Test)

Question 13

What is the gold standard for diagnosing Giardia in a diagnostic lab?

Answer 13

Direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA)

Question 14

What Giardia assemblages tend to affect dogs?

Answer 14

C & D

Question 15

What Giardia assemblages tend to affect cats?

Answer 15

F & A1

Question 16

What Giardia assemblages tend to affect ruminants?

Answer 16

E

Question 17

What Giardia assemblages can infect multiple hosts including humans?

Answer 17

A & B

Question 18

T or F: There are multiple effective and approved drugs to treat giardiasis in veterinary medicine.

Answer 18

False – no drug is 100% effective and none are approved

Question 19

What is the prepatent period for new Giardia infections?

Answer 19

7 days

Question 20

How should you advise a client with a dog that has a Giardia infection to prevent reinfection?

Answer 20

Thoroughly disinfect the environment, treat ALL dogs and cats in the household, bathe the animals to wash cysts out of fur

Question 21

What are the distinct morphological features of Tritrichomonas?

Answer 21

Three anterior flagella and an undulating membrane

Question 22

What are the life stages of Tritrichomonas?

Answer 22

Just trophozoites

Question 23

How is Tritrichomonas transmitted?

Answer 23

Direct host-to-host contact

Question 24

In cattle, _______ are often asymptomatic carriers of tritrichomonas.

Answer 24

Bulls

Question 25

What can tritrichomonas do in breeding cows?

Answer 25

Early embryonic death and reabsorption

Question 26

Where in cattle does tritrichomonas live?

Answer 26

Bulls – prepuce and penis
Cows – uterus and vagina

Question 27

T or F: cattle can gain long term immunity to tritrichomonas after clearing an infection.

Answer 27

F - immunity is short lived

Question 28

T or F: most tritrichomonas infections are cleared in cows and bulls.

Answer 28

T in cows; bulls are infected for life and are often asymptomatic carriers

Question 29

Where does tritrichomonas live in cats?

Answer 29

Distal ileum and colon

Question 30

What clinical signs do tritrichomonas cause in cats?

Answer 30

Diarrhea – can be anywhere from chronic loose stool to explosive diarrhea

Question 31

T or F: the majority of cats with tritrichomonas show severe clinical disease.

Answer 31

F; many are asymptomatic carriers or remain active w/ little to no weight loss

Question 32

How can tritrichomonas be diagnosed?

Answer 32

Direct smear, InPouch culture, PCR

Question 33

T or F: most infected cats are asymptomatic carriers of tritrichomonas.

Answer 33

T