Introduction to Parasites Flashcards
Define a parasite?
- Organisms that live in the expense of another
Give an example of a protozoa
Malaria (plasmodium falciparum)
What are injected under the skin initially by the mosquito?
Sporozoites
Where do sporozoites mature?
Liver
What do they re enter the circulation as?
Merozoites
What cells do merozoites use to multiply and what do they cause these cells to do?
- Red blood cells
- Destroy them
Once mature, how are these merozoites transmitted to other human?
Mosquito bites infected human
What causes amoebic dysentery?
Entamoeba Hystolytica
What is a typical symptom of amoebic dysentery?
Diarrhoea with blood and pus
What can be found in the stool samples of infected individuals with amoebic dysentery?
Protozoal cysts
What is special about leishmaniasis with regards to the pathogen that causes it?
It can be caused by many different parasites
What does cutaneous leishmaniasis cause?
Skin/mucousal ulceration
What does visceral leishmaniasis cause?
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Hepato-splenomegaly
What are the three types of helminths?
- Nematoda
- Cestodes
- Trematoda
What’s an example of a nematode infection?
Ascaris Lumbricoides
How is ascaris lumbricoides contracted?
Ingestion of eggs
What path does ascaris lumbricoides take to mature?
- Embryos hatch and pass through lungs
- Enter stomach and move to small intestine
What does ascaris lumbricoides have the potential to cause?
Loefller’s Syndrome
What is Loefller’s syndrome?
Accumulation of eosinophils in the lungs
What is an example of a condition caused by trematodes?
Schistosomiasis
What is the intermediate host of miracidia (immature pathogen of schistosomiasis)
Fresh water snails
How do the mature forms enter the human body?
Can penetrate the skin
