Hemoflagellates Flashcards
What are the characteristics of the hemoflagellates?
Flagellum, kinoplast, undulating membrane
What disease does Trypanosoma cruzi cause?
American trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as Chagas’ disease
What are the definitive hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi?
Humans, dogs, primates
What are the reservoir hosts of T. cruzi?
Armadillos, etc.
What is the intermediate host of T. cruzi?
Kissing bug
What are the characteristics of kissing bugs?
Nocturnal blood feeders, bite on the lips, defecate while biting. Only about 12 species are efficient vectors.
Where does the infection of T. cruzi reside?
The bloodstream
What are other routes of transmission of T. cruzi?
Blood transfusion, ingestion of infected meat, congenital transmission
What are the signs of acute canine Chagas’ disease?
Fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, myocarditis (arrythmia, death)
What are the signs of chronic canine Chagas’ disease?
Dilated cardiomyopathy, ventricular arrythmias, R-CHF
What is xenodiagnosis?
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
How does one diagnose canine Chagas’ disease?
Blood smears to dx acute phase, serologic tests, xenodiagnosis
How does one treat Chagas’ disease?
Kill circulating trypomastigotes with nifurtimox, etc. no cure for chronic disease
How does one control Chagas’ disease?
Eradicate kissing bugs, screen blood donors
How is African trypanosomiasis transmitted?
The tsetse flies
What is the chronic form of human sleeping sickness?
T. b. gambiense
What is the acute form of human sleeping sickness?
T. b. rhodesiense
What are the hosts of African trypanosomiasis?
Antelopes, cattle sheep, dogs, cats, etc.
What are the signs of nagana?
Fever, remitting fevers, anemia, icterus, edema, abortion, lethargy, weakness, loss of condition
What are some methods of controlling/preventing nagana?
Destroy breeding sites of tsetse flies, sterilize males, chemotherapy, trypanotolerant cattle breeds
What is the transimission of Trypanosoma evansi?
Transmitted by stable flies, disease similar to T. brucei
What is Trypanosoma equiperdum?
Venereal disease of horses and donkeys, in Asia, eastern Europe and Africa. There are three stages: edema, rash, paralysis. Can be fatal unless treated.
What is the host of Leishmania?
Mammalian vertebrates
What is the vector of Leshmania?
Sand flies
Where does leishmania reside?
The amastigote form lives inside macrophages and within phagolysosomes
What species of leishmania is a problem in the U.S?
L. infantum
What is the resevoir host of L. infantum?
Canines are natural reservoir host, get sick (visceral and cutaneous involvement)
How does leishmania transmit dog to dog?
Biting, reusing needles, blood transfusions, breeding (transplacental)
What are the risk factors of L. infantum infection?
Foxhounds are possible more breed susceptible
What is the treatment of L. infantum?
Pentavalent antimonials or allopurinol
What are some recommendations for hunt clubs regarding L. infantum?
Test for infection, exclude potential positives from breeding, confirmed infections should be euthanized, etc.
