Babesia, Leishmania, and Dirofilaria Flashcards
What is babesia?
A blood borne tick transmitted protozoa
What is the life cycle for babesia?
- Tick infected
- sexual multiplication in tick intestine
- asexual multiplication in various tissues
- Spread to tick ovaries
- When tick feeds it transmits to cow
- asexual multiplication in RBCs
what effect does babesia have on RBCs?
It lyses RBCs but also marks uninfected RBC with antigen so they are destroyed by the immune system.
What is the main babesia species in Uk cattle?
Babesia divergens
What cells does Leishmania infect?
macrophages
How is leishmania transmitted?
By macropahges
What is the life cycle of leishmania?
- Ingested by insect
- Transforms into promagigote in gut
- Multiplies then migrates to insect proboscis
- insect bites
- infects macrophages and reverts to amastigote
What is cutaneous leishmania?
Areas of ulceration on skin
What is visceral leishmania?
Chronic wasting, eczema, intermittent fever.
What are microfilariae?
Dirofilaria does not produce eggs but instead release an immature form of the parasite called microfilariae
What is the intermediate host of dirofilaria?
mosquitos
Where are adult dirofilaria found?
right ventricle
