Parasites

Question 1

Enteroamoeba

Answer 1

GI, colon

Transmission: contaminated food/water

Sx: abdominal cramps, diarrhea/dysentary, bloody stools

Question 2

Girardi

Answer 2

GI, SI

Transmission: contaminated food/water

Sx: abdominal crams, diarrhea, bloating. Damage to SI leading to malabsorption

Epidemiology: Most common cause of parasitic illness in US

Question 3

Cyclospora

Answer 3

GI, SI

Transmission: contaminated food/water

Sx: abdominal cramps, chronic, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, vomitting. Damage to SI leading to malabsorption

Epidemiology: endemic to tropical or subtropical regions, rare in US

Question 4

Cryptosporidium

Answer 4

GI, SI

Transmission: contaminated food/water

Sx: abdominal crams, chronic diarrhea, bloating, nausea, vomitting. Damage to SI leading to malabsorption

Question 5

Trichomonas

Answer 5

UGT

Transmission: sexual

Sx: urethritis, dysuria, malodorous urine, GI like symptoms

Epidemiology: found world wide

Question 6

Trypanosomes

Answer 6

Blood/Tissue

American (triatome/kissing bug): organomegaly (colon, espophagus, heart), Romana’s sign- swelling of eyelid

African(Testse flies): Lymphadenopathy (Winterbotom’s), Encephalopathy

Note: shed surface coat- antigenic variation!!!

Question 7

Toxaplasma gondii

Answer 7

Blood/Tissue

Transmission: feces-oral or foodborne. can also be congenital

sx: Retinochorditis- eye infection, can lead to brain abscess/encephalitis in Immunosupressed pts. If congenital: microencephaly

Epidemiology

Question 8

Leishamania

Answer 8

Blood/Tissue

Transmission: sand flies

sx: skin ulscer, hepatosplenomegaly

Question 9

Plasmodium

Answer 9

Blood/Tissue

Transmission: anopheles mosquito

sx: fever, anemia, flu-like symptoms. Severe sx include jaundice, coma, respiratory distress, death