Parasitism and Infectious Diseases Flashcards
ectoparasites
live on the outside of an organism
endoparasites
live inside organisms
attack animals
mostly arthropods (ticks, mites, lice, fleas)
attack plants
nematodes
intracellular endoparasites
live inside the cells of a host
intercellular endoparasites
live in spaces between cells of a host
types of endoparasites
viruses, prions, protozoans, bacteria, fungi, helminths
emerging infectious disease
a newly discovered or rare disease that increases in abundance
-often occurs when a mutation allows a pathogen to jump to a new host species
horizontal transmission
when a parasite moves between individuals other than parents and offspring
vertical transmission
when a parasite is transmitted from a parent to its offspring
mode of entering the host
-piercing tissue
-reliance of a vector
ability of parasite to jump between species
a lethal parasite that specializes on one host may face extinction; solution is to infect multiple species
reservoir species
species that carry a parasite but do not succumb to disease
-can be a continuous source of parasites as other hosts become rare
counterattacks to host’s immune system
avoiding detection by incorporating into chromosomes
-form protective outer layer
vector
an organism that disperses a parasite between hosts
-some parasites require multiple hosts to complete their life cycle
