L10 Flashcards
Parasitic infections are among the most prevalent diseases in
developing countries
• Also common in developed countries
• Typically cause no clinical infections
Parasitic infection is distinct from
parasitic disease
Toxoplasma gondii and hookworm infections are prevalent, but few
immunocompetent individuals develop disease
Parasitic Disease - Consequence of
prolonged, repeated, or high burden infection
Parasitic Disease - Usually
subacute or chronic
• Rarely fatal • Exceptions:
• Plasmodium falciparum (malaria) – may be rapidly fatal (3-5 days)
• Infections in immunocompromised individuals

Many parasitic infections are
zoonoses • Caused by agents that infect animals
Many human parasites require
human and nonhuman hosts to complete their life cycles • Humans are dead-end hosts for some parasites
• Infection occurs but no parasite developmental stage - life cycle not completed
• Two parasite types:
protozoa and helminths
Protozoa - single
celled orgs
Protozoa - Intracellular (red blood cells, macrophages)
•
Unable to withstand environmental dessication (drying)
• Life cycles do not include free environmental stage
Protozoa - Extracellular (lumen of GI tract)
•
Often transmitted by fecal-oral route
• Life cycles alternate between two forms
• Active trophozoite
• Dormant cyst – withstands environmental desiccation
Protozoa - Disease is consequence of
parasite replication to high numbers (small inoculum required to initiate infection)
• About 65,000 species of
protozoa
Most protozoa are
Most are harmless, free-living inhabitants
of water and soil
• Few are parasites
Mastigophora - • Motility primarily by
flagella
Mastigophora - • Single
nucleus
Mastigophora - • Sexual reproduction by
syngamy
Mastigophora - • Division by
longitudinal fission
Mastigophora - Parasitic forms tend to lack
mitochondria and Golgi
apparatus
Mastigophora - Most form
cysts and are free-living
• Most are solitary
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - • Most not motile except
male gametes
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - have Complex
life cycles
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - Produce
sporozoites following sexual reproduction
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - • Important in transmission of
infections
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - Most form
oocysts
Apicomplexa (Sporozoa) - Entire group is
parasitic
Helminths (worms) - are
- Multicellular animals (metazoa)
* Roundworms, flatworms
Helminths (worms) - • Extracellular due to
large size
Helminths (worms) - • Protected by
cuticle
Helminths (worms) - Larvae can develop into
dormant
cysts
Helminths (worms) - Environmental and animal
reservoirs
• Do not typically complete life cycle in human
Helminths (worms) - Developmental stages take place
outside of human
(definitive hosts) in insect vectors or animal reservoirs (intermediate hosts)
Reproduce sexually
Helminths (worms) - • A few species (tapeworms) are
hermaphroditic
Helminths (worms) - Most helmiths cause
chronic infections that are tolerated by the human host
Helminths (worms) - Disease is not a consequence of
parasitic replication
Helminths (worms) - Parasitic burden due to
number of parasites that host initially acquires from environment
Helminths: Established infections not
eliminated by host response
• Spontaneously resolve when adult worms reach senescence
Parasitic Helminths: large
Tapeworms, flukes, and roundworms
• Adults large enough to be seen with the
naked eye
• From1mmto25minlength
Microscope is necessary to identify eggs and larvae
Parasitic Helminths: • Two major groups:
Flatworms and Roundworms
Flatworms - • Phylum
Platyhelminthes
Flatworms -
Thin
• Often segmented
Flatworms: Subdivisions
Cestodes (tapeworms)
• Trematodes (flukes)
Roundworms - • Phylum
Aschelminthes
Roundworms - • Also known as
Nematodes
Roundworms -
Elongate
• Cylindrical
• Unsegmented
Epidemiology and Public Health
- Transmission
- Multiplication
- Damage/disease
- Treatment and Prevention
Parasite Vectors: Most are
arthropods
Involved in essential steps of parasitic life cycle
Female Anopheles mosquito –
malaria •
Tsetse flies –
sleeping sickness
• Black flies –
river blindness
• “Kissing” bugs –
Chagas’ disease
• Ticks –
babesiosis
Parasitic prevalence dependent on
local conditions favoring arthropod breeding
Stagnant water, foliage
• Suitable animal hosts
Reservoirs –
sources of parasites that do not participate directly in transmission
Parasite reservoirs: Humans
• Malaria parasites, amoebae
Parasite reservoirs: Animals
- Pigs - trichinosis, pork tapeworm
* Cattle – beef tapeworm, cryptosporidiosis
Parasite Entry - Penetration of the - 2
skin (unbroken)
• Hookworm, schistosomes
Parasite Entry = Arthropod-borne
- Bite wounds
- Very efficient – malaria
- Can be transmitted by blood transfusions
Parasite Entry - Oral /ingestion 1.
Oral/ingestion
• Contaminated food or water
• Inadequate control of human wastes
• Ascariasis, amebiasis
Dependent on parasitic life cycle and
presence or absence of intermediate hosts for trasnmission
Schistosomiasis –
snails required to allow parasite to mature
• Snails not present in North
America or Europe
Malaria
• Anopheles mosquitoes are present in US and indigenous mosquito pool can be infected
• Disease manifestation dependent on
size of inoculum that varies for different parasites
Amebiasis –
large inocula
Cryptosporidiosis –
few cysts