Leishmania Flashcards
Hemoflagellate
Single-celled parasite that moves by means of tail-like extensions that RESIDES IN BLOOD AND TISSUE
Parasitemia
Infection in the blood
Kinetoplast
Specialized region of the mitochondria that contains DNA
Blepharoplast
Microtubule-based organelle that assemblies cilia and flagella
Where are hemoflagellate parasites located?
Blood and tissue
True or false:
Transmission is vector borne
True
What are the 4 forms of Hemoflagellate morphology?
- Amastigote
- Promastigote
- Epimastigote
- Trypomastigote
Where are amastigotes typically found in humans?
Tissue, muscle, and CNS
Where are trypomastigotes typically found in humans?
Peripheral blood.
What are the morphologic forms of Hemoflagellates based on?
- Shape
- Presence/absence of a flagellum
- Presence and length of undulating membrane
What do you sample for a labaratory diagnosis of Hemoflagellate infection?
Peripheral blood, lymph node and ulcer aspirations, tissue bioposies, bone marrow, CSF
What are the symptoms of Leishmania?
- small red papule at bite site
- itching
- fever
- diarrhea
- death
True or False:
The life cycle of Leishmania involves a mammalian host and an arthropod host.
True
What arthropod is responsible for Leishmania?
Sand fly
Where can Leishmania parasites be found?
Macrophages and other phagocytic cells in tissues.
What are the 3 diseases Leishmania can manifest into?
- Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL)
- Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)
- Visceral leishmaniasis (VL)
What os the life cycle of Leishmania?
What are the clinical symptoms of Leishmaniasis?
- Oriental sore, Baghdad or Delhi boil
- Small red papule at bite site
- Painless nodule
- Pus-containing ucler
Where can the organism be found during an infection?
Organism is found only in the living tissue at the raised margin of the lesion.
- necrotic tissue found in depressed center.
How can you prevent and control Leishmaniasis?
- Control sand fly and reservoir host populations
- Use protective equipment
True or False:
Sandflies bite at any time of day.
False, they bite during the morning, late in the evening, and at night.
What is the laboratory diagnosis for Leishmaniasis?
Samples are taken from the margin of an active ulcer. A giemsa-stain will be done to look for amastigotes underneath ulcer fluid and ulcer tissue for promastigotes.
What Leishmania species is responsible for MCL?
L. braziliensis
What is the epidemiology of L. braziliensis?
Central and South America ( New World)
