Hemoflagellates

Question 1

What are the characteristics of the hemoflagellates?

Answer 1

Flagellum, kinoplast, undulating membrane

Question 2

What disease does Trypanosoma cruzi cause?

Answer 2

American trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as Chagas’ disease

Question 3

What are the definitive hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi?

Answer 3

Humans, dogs, primates

Question 4

What are the reservoir hosts of T. cruzi?

Answer 4

Armadillos, etc.

Question 5

What is the intermediate host of T. cruzi?

Answer 5

Kissing bug

Question 6

What are the characteristics of kissing bugs?

Answer 6

Nocturnal blood feeders, bite on the lips, defecate while biting. Only about 12 species are efficient vectors.

Question 7

Where does the infection of T. cruzi reside?

Answer 7

The bloodstream

Question 8

What are other routes of transmission of T. cruzi?

Answer 8

Blood transfusion, ingestion of infected meat, congenital transmission

Question 9

What are the signs of acute canine Chagas’ disease?

Answer 9

Fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, myocarditis (arrythmia, death)

Question 10

What are the signs of chronic canine Chagas’ disease?

Answer 10

Dilated cardiomyopathy, ventricular arrythmias, R-CHF

Question 11

What is xenodiagnosis?

Answer 11

Xenodiagnosis is a process to diagnose an infectious disease by exposing tissue to a vector and then examining the vector for the presence of a microorganism or pathogen

Question 12

How does one diagnose canine Chagas’ disease?

Answer 12

Blood smears to dx acute phase, serologic tests, xenodiagnosis

Question 13

How does one treat Chagas’ disease?

Answer 13

Kill circulating trypomastigotes with nifurtimox, etc. no cure for chronic disease

Question 14

How does one control Chagas’ disease?

Answer 14

Eradicate kissing bugs, screen blood donors

Question 15

How is African trypanosomiasis transmitted?

Answer 15

The tsetse flies

Question 16

What is the chronic form of human sleeping sickness?

Answer 16

T. b. gambiense

Question 17

What is the acute form of human sleeping sickness?

Answer 17

T. b. rhodesiense

Question 18

What are the hosts of African trypanosomiasis?

Answer 18

Antelopes, cattle sheep, dogs, cats, etc.

Question 19

What are the signs of nagana?

Answer 19

Fever, remitting fevers, anemia, icterus, edema, abortion, lethargy, weakness, loss of condition

Question 20

What are some methods of controlling/preventing nagana?

Answer 20

Destroy breeding sites of tsetse flies, sterilize males, chemotherapy, trypanotolerant cattle breeds

Question 21

What is the transimission of Trypanosoma evansi?

Answer 21

Transmitted by stable flies, disease similar to T. brucei

Question 22

What is Trypanosoma equiperdum?

Answer 22

Venereal disease of horses and donkeys, in Asia, eastern Europe and Africa. There are three stages: edema, rash, paralysis. Can be fatal unless treated.

Question 23

What is the host of Leishmania?

Answer 23

Mammalian vertebrates

Question 24

What is the vector of Leshmania?

Answer 24

Sand flies

Question 25

Where does leishmania reside?

Answer 25

The amastigote form lives inside macrophages and within phagolysosomes

Question 26

What species of leishmania is a problem in the U.S?

Answer 26

L. infantum

Question 27

What is the resevoir host of L. infantum?

Answer 27

Canines are natural reservoir host, get sick (visceral and cutaneous involvement)

Question 28

How does leishmania transmit dog to dog?

Answer 28

Biting, reusing needles, blood transfusions, breeding (transplacental)

Question 29

What are the risk factors of L. infantum infection?

Answer 29

Foxhounds are possible more breed susceptible

Question 30

What is the treatment of L. infantum?

Answer 30

Pentavalent antimonials or allopurinol

Question 31

What are some recommendations for hunt clubs regarding L. infantum?

Answer 31

Test for infection, exclude potential positives from breeding, confirmed infections should be euthanized, etc.