Parasites of the Reproductive system

Question 1

What species does toxoplasma gondii primarily affect?

Answer 1

Mammals and Birds

Question 2

How much of the worlds population is infected by toxoplasma gondii?

Answer 2

30% of the global population

Question 3

What parasite is most closely related to abortion?

Answer 3

Toxoplasma gondii

Question 4

What is the only definitive host of toxoplasma gondii?

Answer 4

Cat

Question 5

When do toxoplasma oocysts shed?

Answer 5

they shed 3-10 days after infection for 1-3 weeks

Question 6

How many toxoplasma oocysts shed in the faeces?

Answer 6

100 million

Question 7

How long does toxoplasma take to sporulate?

Answer 7

1-5 days and then divides into 2 sporocysts

Question 8

What is the shape and size of toxoplasma oocysts?

Answer 8

Oval, 10um in diameter

Question 9

How long do toxoplasma oocysts remain infective for?

Answer 9

Over a year in a warm, humid environment

Question 10

What size are Toxoplasma tissue cysts?

Answer 10

60 um in diameter, there are up to 60,000 of them

Question 11

When do toxoplasma cysts appear?

Answer 11

Over 7 days post-infection

Question 12

What part of the body do toxoplasma tissue cyst affect?

Answer 12

CNS, eyes, muscle and other sites

Question 13

When may T.gondii infections sit in reserve?

Answer 13

When there is a change in the hosts immune status, e.g pregnancy, FELV, FIV

Question 14

How do cats become infected with T.gondii?

Answer 14

Cats are infected via predation, e.g mice, voles.

Question 15

What are the clinical signs of T.gondii in cats?

Answer 15

• Mild diarrhoea, fever, loss of appetite, lethargy
• Lungs= pneumonia, respiratory distress
• Eyes and CNS

Question 16

What are the clinical signs of T.gondii bradyzoites in rodents?

In the CNS

Answer 16

• ‘suicidal’ changes in behaviour
• more active
• reduced fear of new objects
• increased attraction to cat odour
• lose the aversion to cats

Question 17

What is the seroprevalence of ovine toxoplamosis?

Answer 17

54.2%

Question 18

What does ovine toxoplasmosis cause?

Answer 18

Still births, weak/ unthrifty lambs

Question 19

What is the estimated cost of ovine toxoplamsosis to the sheep industry?

Answer 19

12 million per year

Question 20

How do sheep become infected with ovine toxoplasmosis?

Answer 20

through ingestion of oocysts that contaminate grass, hay, straw or concentrates

Question 21

What are the clinical signs of ovine toxoplasmosis in early pregnancy?

Answer 21

embryo reabsorption/ early foetal loss, barren ewes, poor conception rate

Question 22

What are the clinical signs of ovine toxoplasmosis in later pregnancy?

Answer 22

• Abortion
• Mummified foetus
• foetus dying later in gestation but born with varying levels of decomposition- often with clear-to-bloody subcut oedema
• stillbirth
• weak lambs

Question 23

What does the pathology of ovine toxoplasmosis look like?

Answer 23

• Placental cotyledons bright to dark red, with speckled white foci of necrosis

Question 24

How could you control the spread of toxoplasmosis in cats?

Answer 24

No treatment available but you can neuter
* rodent control

Question 25

How can you control toxoplasmosis in sheep?

Answer 25

* Vaccination three weeks before breeding season- long-term immunity * Anti-Protozoal medication throughout the pregnancy (not long-term)

Question 26

How can humans get toxoplasmosis?

Answer 26

Eating raw/ undercooked meat, contaminated fruit and vegetables, gardening

Question 27

What are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in humans?

Answer 27

* Body/ Muscle aches, * Fever, Nausea, Sore-throat

Question 28

What type of hosts are humans? | toxoplasmosis

Answer 28

dead-end hosts

Question 29

What changes in human behaviour are associated with toxoplasmosis?

Answer 29

* Risk-taking * Schizophrenia * Epilepsy * Potentially Parkinsons, OCD, depression

Question 30

What is the likelihood that congenital human toxoplamsosis affects the fetus?

Answer 30

45% chance

Question 31

What can congenital human toxoplasmosis result in, in babies?

Answer 31

abortion, stillbirth, morphological/neurological conditions

Question 32

What protozoa is neosporum closely related to?

Answer 32

Closely related to T.gondii

Question 33

What are the definitive hosts of Neospora caninum?

Answer 33

Dogs, Foxes (coyotes and wolves)

Question 34

What are the intermediate hosts of neospora caninum?

Answer 34

Cattle, Sheep, Goat, Deer

Question 35

How may cattle obtain bovine neosporosis?

Answer 35

Cattle ingest oocysts from pasture/ feed/ water which is contaminated with dog faeces

Question 36

Where do bovine neosporosis sporozoites form?

Answer 36

They form in the small intestine, invade intestinal epithelium and then migrate around the body to the reticulo-endothelial system

Question 37

What do bovine neosporosis sporozoites form?

Answer 37

they form tachyzoites which multiply asexually, kill host cells and then inavde other cells

Question 38

Where are bovine neosporosis bradyzoites predominantly found?

Answer 38

predominantly in the nervous tissue

Question 39

What do bovine neosporosis tachyzoites infect if the cow is pregnant at the time of infection

Answer 39

tachyzoites infect the developing embryo -if the cow becomes pregnant after infection then cyst can be activated

Question 40

What happens with bovine neosporosis in the first/ second trimester?

Answer 40

foetal immune system is poorly developed, foetus is reabsorbed or aborted

Question 41

What happens with bovine neosporosis in the third trimester?

Answer 41

foetal immune system is better developed so there are no harmful effects, although 80-85% of calves born to infected mothers are infected at birth * ocassionally calves abort or atre born with neurological symptoms

Question 42

What is the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis?

Answer 42

Congenitally infected female calves may be retained as replacement heifers

Question 43

What is epidemic abortion of bovine neosporosis?

Answer 43

Large proportion of the herd aborting in a short period of time- abortion storm- due to sudden challenge with environmental oocysts

Question 44

What is endemic abortion?

Answer 44

Abortion rate increases >5% per year over a period of several years, requires a boost from infected dogs

Question 45

How is neosporosis detected?

Answer 45

Outbreaks diagnosed by pathological examination of aborted foetuses, foetal and maternal serology

Question 46

How can you control neosporosis in cattle?

Answer 46

* Keep cattle food, water, hay and bedding away from dogs and foxes * High hygeine standards at calving, dispose of placental membranes and aborted/ dead calves

Question 47

How may you eliminate neospora from a herd?

Answer 47

* Identify infected cattle * Select seronegative cattle for breeding

Question 48

What are the 5 species of Trichomanas?

Answer 48

1. Tritchomonas foetus- causes bovine infertility 2. Tritrichomonas suis- looks like T.foetus 3. Trichomonas gallinae- wild birds 4. Trichomonas hominis- relatively harmless 5. Trichomonas vaginalis- human STI

Question 49

How is tririchomonas foetus spread?

Answer 49

* Coitus * Gynaecological examination and artficial insemination

Question 50

Where is tririchomonas foetus usually found? | what area

Answer 50

Found in areas with small farms with their own bulls and limited access to veterinary services

Question 51

What are the clinical signs of tririchomonas foetus in bulls?

Answer 51

* Preputial discharge * generally asymptomatic * inflammation, painful urination

Question 52

How does tririchomonas foetus in cows spread?

Answer 52

* initially it causes vaginitis/ discharge then spreads to uterus * early embryonic death, foetus dies and is reabsorbed

Question 53

What is the pathogenicity of tririchomonas foetus?

Answer 53

* The parsite does not penetrate underlying tissue * feeds on bacteria, WBC's and sloughed off epithelial cells in the reproductive tract

Question 54

What induces the pathology of tririchomonas foetus?

Answer 54

* Cell-detaching factors * Proteinases * Cytotoxic molecules

Question 55

How can you diagnose tririchomonas foetus?

Answer 55

* Microscopic examination of vaginal or preputial smears, placental fluid etc.. * PCR * Complement fixation *

Question 56

How may you treat tririchomonas foetus in cows?

Answer 56

* Symptomatic treatment with antiprotozoal medications and sexual rest for 3 months

Question 57

How can you control tririchomonas foetus?

Answer 57

* Artifical insemination * Commercially avaialable vaccines