Parasitic infections : helminths and arthopods Flashcards
What are the types of helminths?
Flukes, tapeworms and roundworms. These are all parasitic worms
What are cestodes?
Tapeworms such as echonosia granulosa and taenia spp.
What are trematodes?
Flukes such as schistosoma and fasicola hepatica
What are nematodes?
Roundworms such as ascaris
What is a larval cyst?
Young and inactive tapeworm
How are helminths transmitted?
Infection by larvae or eggs present on surfaces or contaminated food which cause pathology and have tortuous (bendy) migration in the host. Adults cannot replicate.
What is a characterisitic marker of helminth infection?
Eosinophilia (high levels of eosinophils in the blood
What are soil-transmitted helminths?
Contamination of soil with the faeces containing larvae of an infected person
Roundworm: ascariasis
Whipworm: trichuris
Hookworm: necator or anclostoma
How does whipworm infiltrate the GI tract?
Trichuris larvae directly enter the GI tract
How does roundworm infiltrate the GI tract?
Ascariasis larvae travels via blood -> heart -> lungs -> intestines
How does hookworm infiltrate the GI tract?
Necator/anclostoma larvae travels via blood -> heart -> lungs -> intestines
What are the manifestations of soil-transmitted helminths?
At low levels of infection, asymptomatic, Can lead to abdominal pain, diarrhoea. Worms feed on blood and protein leading to loss and anaemia and muscle wasting and rectal prolapse. There is impaired uptake of glucose
How are soil-transmitted helminths treated?
Deworming medication which disrupts the microtubular integrity by inhibiting tubulin polymerisation. This prevents motility and replication
How is ascariasis transmitted?
Nematode (roundworm) via faeco-oral transmission of eggs. It hatches when swallowed and invades intestinal mucosa to enter the lungs where it matures and ascend up the pharynx to be swallowed. This gives it access to the lumen of the small intestine for up to 2 years to cause intestinal illness.
What happens following ascarasis transmission?
Invades intestinal mucosa to enter portal circulation and reach the systemic circulation of the lungs. Matures in the lungs and penetrates the alveolar walls to ascend the bronchial tree and be swallowed to travel into the small intestine. Larvae are released in the faeces and become embryonate (infective). They hatch when swallowed.