Parasitic diseases Flashcards
WHat are parasites?
Three kinds?
Organisms that infect and cause disease in other animals
Protozoa, Helminths, and Arthropods
How are protozoa transmitted?
3
How is indirect transmission accomplished?
Most are mobile. How do they move?
3
Can be passed directly from host to host through
- sexual contact,
- by contaminated water, or
- through arthropod vector
Results from ingestion of highly resistant spores that are shed in feces of infected host (can also be direct)
Most are mobile by means of
- flagella,
- cilia, or
- ameboid motion
What are the worm like parasites?
How does transmisison primarily occur? 2
Infections can involve many organs such as?
What are the three main groups?
Helminths - Wormlike parasites
Transmission occurs primarily through the
- ingestion of fertilized eggs or the
- penetration of infectious larval stages through the skin
Infections can involve many organs:
- Liver,
- lungs,
- urinary and intestinal tract,
- circulatory and
- nervous systems, and
- muscles
3 main groups
- Flatworms (platyhelminths)
- Thorny-headed worms (acanthocephalins)
- Roundworms (nematodes)
Transmission from athropods can occur how? 2
What are the most common types? 5
Transmission from arthropod to human occurs either mechanically or biologically.
Most common
- flies,
- fleas,
- ticks,
- mosquitoes, and
- lice.
How do parasites affect the host specifically 3
How would death occur in a parasite infected host if it did?
The stress placed on the host’s resources can affect:
- its growth,
- ability to reproduce, and
- survival
Typically, a parasitic infection does not directly kill a host
This stress can sometimes lead to the host’s premature death
Host begins to feel ill as a consequence of what from the parasite? 2
In majority of parasite infections what ocurrs?
Multiplies and increasingly interferes with the normal life functions of the host.
Host begins to feel ill as a symptom of the parasite’s INVASION and ACTIVITIES.
In many cases, the host’s immune system may be able to respond to the parasite and destroy it.
Hosts for parasites might be what?
Host species may be
- animal (all types),
- insect
- May live only in water, or
- on vegetables
What are the types of protozoa? 4
What are the types of metazoa (helminths)?2
Sarcodina (amebas)
Sporozoa (sporozoans)
Mastigophora (flagellates)
Ciliata (cilliates)
Platyhelminthes (flatworms)
Nematheiminthes (roundworms)
What are the types of flatworms (Platyhelminthes)? 2
Trematoda(flukes)
Cestoda (tapeworms)
What kind of organisms are protozoa?
This group of organisms has historically been the cause of more disease and death than any other category of disease-causing organisms.
Two examples?
Single cell (unicellular) organisms
Malaria
African Sleeping Sickness
A term for the live adult protozoa
What are the non adult forms? 3
How are most of the diseases spread?
TROPHOZOITE
Cysts, spore, or “eggs” are non-adult forms
MOST OF THESE DISEASES ARE SPREAD BY THE FECAL-ORAL ROUTE
What protozoan causes giardiasis?
What does it infect?
2
Giardia lamblia, a flagellate, is a common pathogenic protozoan.
Infects duodenum and jejunum of humans.
GIARDIASIS: Epidemiology
How is it transmitted? 4
Humans are infected by ingestion of fecally
- contaminated water or
- food containing giardia cysts.
- It is also spread by direct person-to-person contact, which has caused outbreaks in institutions such as day care centers.
ORAL-FECAL TRANSMISSION
- (pets, rodents, livestock)
How long can giardiasis cysts survive?
When do symptoms occur after infection?
Describe their life cycle?
2
Cysts can survive in water for up to 3 months
takes up to 7-10 days for these cysts to open up and cause problems
Life cycle
2 forms
Cysts and trophozoites (can go back and forth because they cant survove out of the body in adult form)
Giardiasis pathology
Parasites attached to the bowel wall may cause irritation and low-grade inflammation of the duodenal or jejunal mucosa
What diagnostic test do we do for Giardiasis and what will it show us?
3
Biopsy of small bowel will show: 1. crypt hypertrophy 2. villous atrophy or 3. flattening epithelial cell damage
Giardias symtpoms?
4
- A large portion of infected patients are asymptomatic
The symptomatic forms are
- Acute diarrhea
- Chronic diarrhea
- Malabsorption syndrome
Giardiadas Presenting symptoms can be what? 6
Patients with chronic infection show what? 3
What will the stools look like?
How long will symptoms last?
- diarrhea,
- malaise,
- steatorrhea,
- abdominal cramps & bloating,
- flatulence,
- N/V, and weight loss
often experience:
- major weight loss,
- malabsorption, and
- depression
The stools may be
watery, semisolid, greasy, bulky, and foul-smelling at various times during the course of the infection
2-4 weeks
When does giardiasis typically encyst?
What will be found in the stool often in enourmous amounts?
As the parasites pass into the colon
Cysts are found in the stool—often in enormous numbers.
GIARDIASIS: WORK UP
2
- STOOL Sample-fecal smear
2. Examination of the duodenal contents
What are we looking for un a stool sample/fecal smear for giardiasis? 2
What does the diagnosis depend on? 2
How many stool examinations should be done?
What lab test has shown to be a specific and sensitive rapid diagnostic tool?
To look for “ova and parasites”
Depends on finding the distinctive cysts in formed stools, or cysts or the protozoa in liquid stools.
A series of three or more stool examinations on alternate days is therefore recommended.
Stool enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Why may examination of the duodenal contents be necessary to establish the diagnosis?
as cyst production may be sporadic and not found in the stool by an ovum and parasite fecal smear examination.
GIARDIASIS: Treatment
Two alternatives?
PT education?
Metronidazole (Flagyl) 250mg twice daily for 5 days will clear over 90% of Giardia lamblia infections.
Oral tinidazole and nitazoxinide are alternatives.
Could become lactose intolerant in infection
GIARDIASIS - PREVENTION?
3
Avoid contaminated water sources
Hikers or campers should boil water or use iodine or filtration with a large pore sized filter
Adequate disposal of diapers and frequent hand washing for daycare centers (does work in cyst form-hand sanitizers)
What is Cryptosporidiosis caused by?
What is the disease associated with?
One of the most common causes of waterborne illness in the United States
A coccidian protozoan parasite(Cryptosporidium hominis) which causes the disease Cryptosporidiosis
Contaminated water supply
Where are the Cryptosporidium hominis intracellular spheres found in great numbers?
What is the infectious agent of the bacteria?
The intracellular spheres are found in great numbers just under the outer membrane of the cells lining the stomach or intestine.
Oocysts, passed into feces in enormous numbers, are the infective agents.
Cryptosporidium: Site of infection?
3
(one most common)
Epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract
Has affected other tissues such as respiratory tract tissues and conjunctiva of the eye
What is the infectious dose of Cryptosporidium?
Cell death from Cryptosporidium is a direct result of what?
2
- Cell death is a direct result of parasite invasion, multiplication, and extrusion
or
- Cell damage could occur through T cell-mediated inflammation, producing microvilli death and Cryptosporidium excess growth
Cryptosporidium Symptoms 4
Severe disease symtpoms? 4
Incubation period?
- Some individuals can be asymptomatic
Symptoms include:
- Stomach cramps and pain
- watery diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting,
- fever
Severs symptoms –
- profuse, watery diarrhea,
- severe malabsorption,
- electrolyte imbalance and
- marked weight loss
Incubation period: 7-10 days (range 3-28)
How is a Cryptosporidium Diagnosis usually made?
What test specifically?
What tests have te best sensitivity and specificity? 2
Usually made by examining stool specimens, 3 stools may be required.
Microscopy with an acid fast stained stool smear is usually diagnostic
- Enzyme immunoassay for greatest sensitivity and specificity or
- molecular methods using PCR
Cryptosporidium Treatment
Adults?
Children 1-3?
Children 4-11?
Nitazoxanide
Can be used for pediatric patients
Adults
500mg q12 hours
Children 1-3
100mg q12 hours
Children 4-11
200mg q12 hours
Cryptosporidium prevention 6
What is it resistant to?
- Water purification and filtration
- Routine testing
- Use of 1 micron filter to remove cysts
- Boil water
- Drink bottled water when traveling abroad
- Wash hands frequently
(Resistant to chlorine)
The sporocysts in cryptosporidium are resistant to most chemical disinfectants, but are susceptible to?
drying and the ultraviolet portion of sunlight
Intestinal Amebiasis is commonly caused by what?
What is this mostly a disease of?
Three stages are encountered:
Entamoeba histolyti
Travelers
The active amoeba
The inactive cyst
The intermediate precyst
Several strains of Intestinal Amebiasis ?8
The only two though to cause disease are what?
2
Entamoeba histolytica Dientamoeba fragilis Entamoeba dispar Entamoeba hartmanni Entamoeba coli Entamoeba moshkovskii Endolimax nana Iodamoeba butschlii
The only two though to cause disease are E. histolytica and Dientamoeba fragilis
Entamoeba histolytica AMEBIASIS-Pathogenesis
How is it transmitted?
After the cyst is inside the body how does it infect?
3
FECAL-ORAL transmission
The cyst is ingested
- The trophozoite emerges from the ingested cyst in the stomach and duodenum.
- Each of which divides again to produce eight small trophozoites per infective cyst.
- These pass to the cecum and produce a population of lumen-dwelling trophozoites.
Disease results when the trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica invade what?
What helps the trophozoites do this?
What does it cause?
Intestinal epithelium.
Mucosal invasion with the aid of proteolytic enzymes occurs through the bowel wall
Causes discrete ulcers with a pinhead-sized center and raised edges, from which mucus, necrotic cells, and amoebas pass
Subsequent spread of Entamoeba histolytica may coalesce colonies of amoebas causing what?
Trophozoites may penetrate the muscular coats and occasionally the serosa, leading to what?
2
undermining large areas of the mucosal surface.
- Perforation into the peritoneal cavity.
- Secondary bacterial invasion, and accumulation of neutrophilic leukocytes can occcur.
Entamoeba histolytica extraintestinal infection acts how?
infection is metastatic/amoebas spread through the blood
Rarely occurs by direct extension from the bowel.
What is the most common forms of Entamoeba histolytica extraintestinal infection?
2
What is this assumed to be due to?
By far the most common form is amoebic hepatitis or liver abscess (4% or more of clinical infections)
Assumed to be due to microemboli including trophozoites carried through the portal circulation.
Factors that determine invasion of Entamoeba histolytica amoebas include the following?
3
- number of amoebas ingested
- pathogenic capacity of the parasite strain
- host factors such as gut motility and immune competence