Parasitic infections Flashcards
Infection
Invasion by and growth of pathogenic microorganisms within the body
Disease
A disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavourable environmental factors, illness, sickness, ailment
Parasite
Organism living in or on the host and dependent on it for nutrition=causing damage
Endoparasites
- Protozoa: amoeba, coccidiae, ciliated, flagellates
- Metazoa: roundworms, flatworms, flukes
Ectoparasites
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Protozoa
ENDOPARASITE
- single celled organisms
- eukaryotes (genomw within nucleus, complex organelles in cytoplasm)
- pathogenesis (mechanism of disease) varied
- some have insect vectors (eg: malaria)
- no eosinophilia
Metazoa
ENDOPARASITE
- multicellular organisms
- free living, intermediate hosts and vectors
- some just inhabit gut (geohelminths), others invade tissues
- eosinophilia (if they invade blood)
Types of protozoa
- Amoebae
- Coccidia
- Ciliates
- Flagellates
Amoebae
Forms:
- entamoeba histolytica
- entamoeba dispar
Coccidia
-Coccidial infection in humans are mostly zoonoses
Lab diagnosis of amebiasis
WET MOUNT
Symptoms of malaria
- fever
- headache
- chills
- vomiting
- muscle pain
- paroxysm (cycle in 4-8 hours)
Complications of malaria
- severe anaemia (RBC destruction)
- cerebral malaria (swelling of brain, seizures, coma)
- liver failure
- shock
- pulmonary oedema
- abnormally low blood sugar
- kidney failure
- swelling and rupture of spleen
Uncomplicated malaria treatment
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Severe malaria treatment
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Diagnosis of malaria
- blood film (Giemsa stained)
- commercially available antigen detection tests (rapid but more expensive and less sensitive)