Parasites

Question 1

What are examples of Protozoans-single celled Eukaryotic organisms ?

Answer 1

• malaria
• giardia

Question 2

What are examples of arthropods ?

Answer 2

• bot fly
• ticks

Question 3

What are examples of worms ?

Answer 3

• hookworms
• roundworms
• pinworms
• tapeworms

Question 4

What are some characteristics of Malaria ?

Answer 4

• carried by anopheles mosquitoes
• S&S: fever, chills, and flu like symptoms
• many places have mosquito nets to protect themselves

Question 5

What are some characteristics of Giardia ?

Answer 5

• problem for long-distance hikers
• can live in water supply especially cold water
• not everyone shows symptoms
• cysts will go out of the body via waste

Question 6

What causes the disease Giardiasis ?

Answer 6

an infection of the small intestine caused by a microscopic organism, giardia lamblia

Question 7

What are some symptoms of Giardiasis ?

Answer 7

• abdominal pain
• diarrhea & nausea & vomiting
• gas or bloating
• HA
• loss of appetite
• low grade fever
• swollen or distended abdomen

Question 8

What are treatments for Giardiasis ?

Answer 8

• some go away by themselves
• anti-infective medicines may be used
• cure rates greater than 80%
• pregnant women should wait until after delivery for tx

Question 9

What are prevention strategies for Giardiasis ?

Answer 9

• purify water by boiling, filtering, or iodine treatment
• hikers or others who use surface water should consider all sources as potentially contaminated
• workers in day care should use good handwashing for children and parents
• safe sex (especially anal)

Question 10

What is the life cycle of Giardiasis ?

Answer 10

1. ingestion of dormant cysts
2. trophozoite emerge to an active stage
3. trophozoite undergo asexual replication
4. not everyone exhibit symptoms
5. encystation during transit toward the colon
6. cysts and trophozoites expelled in the feces
7. only cysts can survive outside of the host
8. cyst can survive for weeks to months in cold water

Question 11

What are some characteristics of Human bot flies ?

Answer 11

• South American parasite

Question 12

What is the life cycle of the human bot fly ?

Answer 12

• female bot fly lays it eggs on the female mosquito
• once the mosquito lands on the human the body warmth causes the eggs to enter the bite mark the mosquito has left
• the butt of the bot fly egg will stick out of the bite mark hole to breathe
• it releases a painkiller effect so that you aren’t aware they are there and won’t feel them
• if you tear them off and leave a part of it behind it can cause an infection

Question 13

What are some characteristics of ticks ?

Answer 13

• carry several types of diseases (rocky mountain spotted fever, lyme, anaplasmosis)
• carry microscopic organisms that can makes us sick
• start extremely small

Question 14

What are characteristics of hookworms ?

Answer 14

• small worms that enter through the skin and eventually migrate to the small intestine
• have teeth that slice into and grab onto the small intestine

Question 15

What is the life cycle of hookworms ?

Answer 15

• larvae migrate to the grass
• larvae penetrate skin causing “ground itch” and enter the bloodstream
• larvae enter lungs and alveolar spaces causing cough
• coughed-up larvae are swallowed
• larvae reach small intestine, mature, and start feeding
• eggs passed in feces

Question 16

What are characteristics of roundworms ?

Answer 16

• ascaris lumbriocoides
• like to be in the large intestine
• very common, may infect 25% of population
• 12 to 40 cm long
• eggs can lay in soil for years
• indoor plumbing doesn’t control it as well as untreated sewage in water source

Question 17

Why is roundworms dangerous in the intestines ?

Answer 17

• can crawl around
• large numbers of worms can tie in knots and block the intestine
• they absorb nutrients which leads to vitamin deficiency
• will need to be surgically removed

Question 18

What is the most common pinworm ?

Answer 18

Enterobius vermicularis
- most common mimosoid infection

Question 19

What are some S&S of pinworms ?

Answer 19

• Enterobiasis: anal itching, especially at night
• can lead to PID or vaginitis
• most common parasite in US
• at night females migrate out of the anus and lay eggs on skin

Question 20

What are characteristics of tapeworms ?

Answer 20

• intestinal tape worm Echinococcus Granulosus and E. Multilocularis
• hooks on scolices to help them stay in place

Question 21

What are some S&S of tapeworms ?

Answer 21

• Hydatid diease: hatch in the intestines, and larva migrates to lung, liver, bone, or brain
• build into a cyst that grows over a period of 10 or so years and can press on other organs or if it breaks, cause an allergic reaction
• can be mistaken for cancer
• with E. Multilocularis, buds break off and spread to other parts of the body including the brain, often with fatal results
• cyst is formed around it