Parasites ( + Protozoa) Flashcards
Hiker comes in complaining of excess flatulence, bloating, and greasy foul-smelling diarrhea. Stool O&P shows a trophozoite with two anterior sucker pads and multiple flagella. Diagnosis?
Giardia lamblia
Patient comes in with RUQ pain. Biopsy shows liver abscesses with a consistency of anchovy paste. There are also flask-shaped ulcerations in the intestines presenting as bloody diarrhea. Stool O&P shows trophozoites containing endocytosed RBC. Diagnosis?
Entamoeba histolytica –> causes Amebiasis (if just liver) and/or called Intestinal Amebiasis (if stomach probs)
45 year old HIV+ patient presents with severe, unrelenting watery diarrhea. Labs show unicellular, partially acid-fast staining oocyst organisms. Diagnosis?
Cryptosporidium
-#1 cause of severe watery diarrhea in AIDS pt’s
45 year old HIV+ patient presents with encephalitis and CT shows ring enhancing lesions in the brain. The Pt admits to taking care of multiple cats and cleans out their litter boxes regularly. He also does not always cook his meat all the way through. Diagnosis:
Toxoplasma gondii
What is the triad of symptoms for congenital Toxoplasmosis?
Intracranial brain calcifications + hydrocephalus + chorioretinitis
African dude was bit by a Tsetse fly and has since had recurrent fevers, cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy, and has progressed to coma. Diagnosis?
Trypanosoma brucei –> causes African Sleeping Sickness
A backpacker that goes swimming in freshwater lakes presents with nuccal rigidity, fevers, and altered mental status. Lumbar puncture of CSF shows amoebas. Diagnosis?
Naegleria fowleri –> causes Meningo-encephalitis
Patient was bitten by the Reduviid bug (the kissing bug). Later in life she has megacolon, dilated esophagus, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Diagnosis?
Trypanosoma cruzi –> causes Chaga’s disease
Patient presents with jaundice due to hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinuria, and other blood related symptoms. He was hiking in NC and was bit by a Ixodes tick (deer tick). A blood smear shows tetrads of trophozoites in a Maltese Cross appearance. Diagnosis?
Babesia
Patient in Africa has fever, headache, anemia, and splenomegaly. He was bit by an Anopheles mosquito. Blood smear and Giemsa stain show parasites inside RBCs. His fever is cyclic in a pattern of 72 hours, with fever presenting on day 1 and day 4 (fever every three days). What is he infected with?
Plasmodium malariae
Patient in Africa has fever, headache, anemia, and splenomegaly. He was bit by an Anopheles mosquito. Blood smear and Giemsa stain show parasites inside RBCs. His fever is cyclic in a pattern of 48 hours with fever on days 1, 3, and 5 (fever every other day). What is he infected with?
Plasmodium vivax and/or Plasmodium ovale
Patient in Africa has fever, headache, anemia, and splenomegaly. He is exhibiting neurologic symptoms and confusion. He was bit by an Anopheles mosquito. Blood smear shows banana-shaped bodies and Giemsa stain show parasites inside RBCs. His fever is relentless with no particular pattern or regularity. What is he infected with?
Plasmodium falciparum
Patient was bit by a sandfly and now has disfiguring ulcers covering the skin. Blood smear shows Amastigotes. Diagnosis?
Leshmania braziliensis –> causes Cutaneous Leshmaniasis
Mediterranian/African/Middle Eastern patient presents with hyperpigmented skin spots, fever, pancytopenia, and hepatosplenomegaly. This is called Kala-azar colloquially. Diagnosis?
Leishmania donovani –> “Black fever”
Female presents with inflamed cervix called “strawberry cervix” and has a burning, itchy malodorous yellow-green discharge. Wet mount shows motile trophozoites. Diagnosis?
Trichomonas vaginalis
Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease & Prions - subacute encephalitis and dementia and death
Blah
Parasite worm infectious will cause what bodily reactions for lab values?
Eosinophilia (high serum eosinophil count) and Iron defiency anemia
This causes Pinworm and is diagnosed with the ____ test.
Enterobius vermicularis
-Scotch tape test
This causes hookworm, found in the Southern US and is typically gotten due to _____
Ancyclostoma duodenale AND/OR Necator americanus
-Gotten by walking barefoot
This helminthe can undergo its entire lifecycle within the human body (through autoinfection)
Strongyloides
This parasite is gotten from eating undercooked meat (esp. pork or bear) and deposits cysts in striated muscle, causing fever, vomiting, periorbital edema, and severe myalgias + eosinophilia
Trchinella spiralis
This helminthe is known for causing intestinal blockages especially at the iliocecal valve
Ascaris lumbricoides (BLOCKS YOUR LUMBAR / ASS)
This parasite conditions has a long worm emerge from a painful ulcer in the skin (Rod of Asclepius)
Dracunculus medinesis
Chick in Africa by river gets bit by a black fly and gets scattered pruritic papules with hypo and hyperpigmentation. These can float in eye and cause blindness. Diagnosis?
Onchocerca volvulus
