Helminths and protozoal infections Flashcards
what sp of protozoa infect the small intestine
- Giardia lamblia
* Cryptosporidium parvum
what sp of protozoa infect the large intestine
Entamoeba histolytica
what is giardiasis
a cause of travellers’ diarrhoea
how is G. lamblia spread
drinking water and person to person
describe the life cycle of G.lamblia
- Trophozoite
- Flagellated and bi-nucleated
- Lives in upper part of small intestine
- Adheres to brush border of epithelial cells
- Cyst
- Formed when trophozoiteforms resistant wall
- Passes out in stools
- Can survive for several weeks
describe the pathogenesis of G. lamblia
- Present in the duodenum and upper ileum
- Attaches to the mucosa via ventral sucker
- Does not penetrate the surface
- Causes damage to the mucosa and villous atrophy
- Leads to malabsorption of food, esp. fats and fat soluble vitamins
- May swim up the bile duct to gall bladder
what are the stigmata of G. lamblia
- Mild infections are asymptomatic
- Diarrhoea is usually self-limiting (7-10 days)
- Chronic diarrhoea presents in immunocompromised patients
- Stools are characteristically loose, foul-smelling and fatty
how is C. parvum spread
faecally contaminated water
animal reservoir
opportunistic (e.g. aids)
describe the life cycle of C. parvum
- Asexual ; sexual development within host
- Ingestion of resistant oocysts
- Release of infective sporoziotesin small intestine
- Invasion of intestinal epithelium
- Division to form merozoiteswhich re-infect cells
- After sexual phase, oocytesreleased
describe the pathogenesis of C. parvum
- Enters cells of the microvillus border of small intestine
- Remains within vacuole of epithelial cell
- May multiply to give large numbers of progeny, especially in immunocompromised hosts
what are the stigmata of C. parvum infection
- Moderate to severe profuse diarrhoea
- Up to 25 litres of watery faeces / day
- Usually self limiting disease
- In HIV positive individuals with CD4+T-cell counts of
describe the features of E. histolytica
common in tropics and sub tropics via contaminated food or water or anal sex reproduce in the small intestine damage epithelia and red blood cells later on live in the large intestine cause colitis
describe the pathogenesis of E.histolytica
- Adheres to epithelium and acute inflammatory cells
- Resists host humoral and cell mediated immune defence mechanisms
- Produces hydrolytic enzymes, proteinases, collagenase, elastase
- Produces protein that lyses neutrophils, the contents of which are toxic to the host
what are the stigmata of E.histolytica infection
- Small localised superficial ulcers leading to mild diarrhoea
- Entire colonic mucosa may become deeply ulcerated leading to severe amoebic dysentery
- Complications include intestinal perforation
- Trophozoites may spread to the liver, and other organs
- Rarely, abscesses spread to overlying skin
what are the features of bacillary dysentery
- Many PMN in stool
- Eosinophilsabsent
- Many bacilli in stool
- Blood/mucus present in stool
what are the features of amoebic dysentery
- Few PMN in stool
- Eosinophils present
- Few amoebae in stool
- Blood/mucus present in stool
how is G. lamblia treated
- Mepacrinehydrochloride
- Metronidazole
- Tinidazole
how is C. parvum treated
- Nitazoxanide
* Spiramycin
how is E. histolytica treated
- Spiramycin
- Metronidazole
all treated with oral rehydration therapy
how can protozoal infections be treated
- Improved hygiene and water supplies
- Eating only freshly prepared food served hot
- Avoiding salads and fruit which cannot be peeled
- Avoiding tap water and ice cubes
what are nematodes
roundworms
bisexual and cylindrical
what are cestodes
tapeworms
elongated and flat, segmented, hermaphrodite
what are trematodes
Flukes
leaf shaped flat worms
mainly hermaphrodite
rare
how are nematodes transmitted
soil
either swallowing eggs or active skin penetration
what is S. stercoralis
pin worm
causes villous atrophy and loss of intestinal elasticity
what are the stigmata of pinworm
- Dysentery (persistent in immunocompromisedhosts)
- Dehydration
- Malabsorptionsyndrome
- Anal pruritis
- Association with appendicitis
how is whip worm transmitted
eggs on vegetables