Exposures: Parasites

Question 1

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM

Answer 1

• Intestinal protozoa
• Oocyst attaches to small bowel mucosa, releases 4 sporozoites
• Chlorine-tolerant -> Public pool outbreaks

Symptoms

• Fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, nonbloody diarrhea
• Self-resolving in most cases
• Immunosuppressed, HIV CD4 <100 – chronic, relapsing disease

Diagnosis

• Stool microscopy
• ELISA

Question 2

ENTAMOEBA

Answer 2

• “Dysentery”
• Ingestion of cysts
• Trophozoites invade colonic mucosa
• histolytica - “lyse cells”
• Travel to liver – amoebic liver “flask-shaped abscesses
• Diagnosis: Stool microscopy

Question 3

NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS: Multidrug resistant (MDRGN)

Answer 3

CRE – carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (E. coli, Klebsiella)