lecture 5 Flashcards
what are the species within the genera Taenia, Echinococcus
Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis
what hosts do the small taeniidae tapeworms (Echinococcus spp.) infect?
domestic dogs and other Canidae as definitive hosts
what is the accidental host of Echinococcus spp.?
humans
what disease does Echinococcus spp. cause in humans?
hydatid disease
what is the egg morphology of echinococcus spp.?
round egg that contains distinct rings, radial striations, and hooklets
what is the main feature of hydatid cyst?
protoscolices
how long is the echinococcus spp tapeworm?
3-6 mm long
what is the adult morphology of the echinococcus tapeworm?
consists of a scolex, neck, immature proglottid, mature proglottid, and gravid proglottid (only one segment of each)
what is the life cycle of E. granulosus?
- adult tapeworm is in the canine small intestine
- the gravid proglottid detaches and ruptures in the large intestine as it passes through the digestive tract. the eggs are released in the feces
- eggs are released on soil and are ingested by the intermediate host (sheep, cattle, pigs, horses)
- the oncosphere hatches in the intermediate host’s intestine, penetrates the gut, enters circulation, and reaches liver, lungs, or brain
- oncosphere transforms into a hydatid cyst (requiring months to mature) that is filled with millions of protoscolices
- when the herbivore is eaten by canine, the protoscolex, released from the hydatid cyst, develops into adult tapeworms in the canine’s small intestine
what is the life cycle of E. multilocularis?
- its the same life cycle as E. granulosus but the definitive hosts are foxes, and to a lesser extent dogs, cats, coyotes, and wolves. the intermediate hosts are small rodents
- larval growth (in the liver of the intermediate host) remains indefinitely in the proliferative stage, resulting in invasion of the surrounding tissues
how are humans part of the life cycle when they become an accidental host of E. granulosus/E. multilocularis?
ingest the eggs, resulting in the release of oncospheres in the intestine and the development of cysts in various organs. this is known as echinococois or hydatid disease
where does E. granulosus occur?
worldwide, more frequently in rural and grazing areas where dogs ingest organs from infected animals
where does E. multilocularis occur?
the northern hemisphere, including central Europe and the northern parts of
Europe, Asia, and North America
what form of echinococcus does E. granulosus cause?
cystic echinococcus
what form of echinococcus does E. multilocularis cause?
alveolar echinococcus
what stage of Echinococcus cestodes (tapeworms) is responsible for human echinococcosis?
the larval stage
what are the clinical aspects of Echinococcus granulosus?
- infection remains silent for years until cysts are large enough to cause symptoms in the affected organs (liver and lungs)
- rupture of the cysts can cause fever and anaphylactic shock, as well as cyst dissemination
- the infection can also affect the brain, bone, and heart
what are the clinical aspects of Echinococcus multilocularis?
affects the liver as a slow growing, destructive tumour, with abdominal pain, biliary obstruction, and occasionally metastatic lesions into the lungs and brain
what is the diagnosis for Echinococcosis?
ultrasonography and/or other imaging techniques supported by positive serologic tests
what is the treatment for Echinococcosis?
surgery followed by the drug of choice, which is albendazole
how does albendazole treat Echinococcosis?
causes degenerative alterations in the tegument and intestinal cells of the worm by binding to tubulin, which inhibits its assembly into microtubules
what are the two species under the family Hymenolepididae?
- hymenolepis nana - dwarf tapeworm
- hymenolepis diminuta- rat tapeworm
- these two species are the ones that infect humans
what are the intermediate hosts of the family Hymenolepididae?
invertebrates
how is the Hymenolepididae family characterized?
- characterized by proglottids that are wider than they are long
- mature proglottids contain a small number of testes (3 to 4)
- gravid proglottids disintegrate in host and release eggs
what is the hymenolepis nana also known as?
dwarf tapeworm
what are the reservoir hosts of hymenolepis nana?
rodents
does hymenolepis nana need an intermediate host
not necessarily because an intermediate host to complete its life cycle
how many proglottids does the hymenolepis nana have? where do they live?
150-200 proglottids, and lives in the lumen of the small intestine
what is the scolex morphology of hymenolepis nana?
scolex has four suckers and a single row of hooks
what is the life cycle of the hymenolepis nana?
- eggs are immediately infective when passed with the stool and cannot survive more than 10 days in the external environment
- when eggs are ingested by an arthropod intermediate host, they develop into cycticercoids, which can infect humans or rodents upon ingestion and develop into adults in the small intestine.
- when eggs are ingested (via contaminated food or water or from hands contaminated with feces), the oncospheres contained in the eggs are released
- the oncospheres (hexacanth larvae) penetrate the intestinal villus and develop into cysticercoid larvae
- upon rupture of the villus, the cysticercoids return to the intestinal lumen, evaginate their scoleces, attach to the intestinal mucosa and develop into adults that reside in the small intestine producing gravid proglottids
- eggs are passed in the stool when released from proglottids through its genital atrium or when proglottids disintegrate in the small intestine
- an alternate mode of infection consists of internal autoinfection, where the eggs release their hexacanth embryo, which penetrates the villus, continuing the infective cycle without passage through the external environment
hymenolepis diminuta are also known as…
the rat tapeworm
who is mainly infected by hymenolepis diminuta?
children
what is the scolex morphology of H. diminuta?
four suckers and no hooks
what are the reservoir hosts of H. diminuta?
many reservoir hosts, including dogs, cats and many rodent species
what is the life cycle of H. diminuta?
- eggs are passed out in the feces of the infected definitive host (rodents, humans)
- the mature eggs are ingested by an intermediate host (various arthropod adults or larvae), and oncospheres are released from the eggs and penetrate the intestinal wall of the host, which develop into cysticercoid larvae
- the cysticercoid larvae persist through the arthropod’s morphogenesis to adulthood
- H. diminuta infection is acquired by the mammalian host after ingestion of an intermediate host carrying the cysticercoid larvae