Parasitology πͺ± Flashcards
What is a parasite?
An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients and protection at the otherβs expense.
What are the types of parasites?
1- obligatory parasites 2- facultative parasites 3- accidental parasites 4- endoparasites 5- ectoparasites 6- specific parasites 7- temporary parasites 8- saprozoic (spurious) parasites
What are obligatory parasites?
They are parasites that canβt complete their life-cycle without exploiting a suitable host, If obligatory parasites canβt obtain a host it fails to reproduce.
What are facultative parasites?
can either live freely (in soil or water) or as parasites in hosts when unfavorable environmental conditions occur.
What are accidental parasites?
free-living organisms which enter the human body by mistake e.g. larvae of flies which are accidentally ingested and live in the intestine of man.
What are temporary parasites?
visit its host from one time to another for feeding then leave.
What are specific parasites?
affects only one host species.
What are caprozoic (spurious) parasites?
a parasite species foreign to the host which has just passed through the alimentary canal without infecting the host. (For example, parasite eggs in the animal liver).
What are ectoparasites?
a parasite that lives on the outside of the host.
What are endoparasites?
a parasite that lives within the body of the host.
What are the types of hosts?
1- Definitive host 2- Intermediate host 3- Reservoir host 4- Paratenic (transport) host 5- Vector host 6- Dead-End host
What is a definitive host?
Host in which the parasite reaches its sexual maturity (adult stage).
What is an intermediate host?
a host in which the immature (larval, not adult) stage of the parasite is found, or in which the parasite multiplies asexually.
Also termed amplifier host.
What is a reservoir host?
An animal that harbors the parasite and acts as a continuous source of human infection.
What is a paratenic host?
a host that harbors a parasite in an arrested state of development but the parasite remains alive and viable, ready to infect a subsequent suitable host.
What is a dead-end host?
- a host from which infectious agents are not transmitted to other susceptible hosts.
- It means that the infection chain ends at that particular host, and further.
What is a vector?
arthropod host that transmits the parasite from one host to another.
What is the definition of host-parasite interactions (symbiosis)?
A relationship between two or more organisms that live closely together.
What are the types of host-parasite interactions?
- Parasatism
- Commensalism
- Mutualism
- Phoreisis
What is parasitism?
one of the two organisms (parasite) benefits, as it gains protection and nutrition at the expense of the other (host) that suffers from such association.
What is commensalism?
both organisms live together and the commensal organism benefits without causing harm to the other.
What is mutualism?
both organisms benefit from the association to an extent that both canβt live separately (a flagellate in the intestine of termite that feeds on wood).
What is phoresis?
- In phoresis, there is no dependency but just carriage (Dientamoeba fragilis on Enterobius egg).
- phoront is usually the smaller organism and is mechanically carried by the other which is usually large.
What is zoonoses?
infectious diseases that can be naturally transmitted between animals (usually vertebrates) and humans.
What are the types of zoonoses?
ANTHROPOZOONOSIS
ZOOANTHROPONOSIS
What is anthrozooponosis?
a zoonosis maintained in nature by animals and transmissible to humans.
What is zooanthroponosis?
parasitic infections naturally maintained by humans but can be transmitted to other vertebrates.
What is anthroporosis?
Anthroponosis is another term where parasitic infections are found in man alone.
What is the classification of zoonotic disease?
According to the source of infection: feral (sylvatic) or domestic
According to the method of transmission: direct zoonosis - meatzoonoses - saprozoonosis
What is feral (sylvatic) zoonoses?
- the source of infection is a wild animal with no close relationship to man.
- Humans become exposed to infection in the course of hunting.
What is direct zoonoses?
Infection is directly transmitted from the reservoir host to man.
What is metazoonosis?
infection is transmitted from the reservoir host to man via an arthropod.
What is saprozoonosis?
infection is transmitted via a non-animal developmental site as the soil and water.
What is studied in medical Parasitology?
Medical parasitology includes the study of 3 major groups of animals:
- Parasitic helminths (worms).
- Parasitic protozoa.
- Arthropods directly cause disease or act as vectors of various pathogens
What is domestic zoonoses?
The source of infection is manβs own domesticated animals.
What are Protozoa?
These are unicellular organisms that occur singly or in colony formation. Each protozoan is a complete unit capable of performing all functions.
What is the morphology of Protozoa?
Protozoa have a wide range of sizes (1-150ΞΌ). The structure of a protozoan cell is formed of a cytoplasmic body and a nucleus.
What is the Cytoplasm of Protozoa formed of?
Ectoplasm and endoplasm
Ectoplasm of protozoa
Ectoplasm: The outer hyaline layer that is responsible for (REPSI) ingestion of food, excretion, respiration, protection, and sensation.
Some structures develop from ectoplasm as:
- Organs of locomotion; pseudopodia, flagella and cilia.
- Organs for food intake or excretion; peristome, cytostome, and cytepyge
Endoplasm of Protozoa
The inner granular part of the cytoplasm is responsible for nutrition and reproduction. The endoplasm contains a number of structures as food vacuoles, foreign bodies, contractile vacuoles, and chromatoid bodies and may contain RBCs.
Nucleus of protozoa
is the most important structure, as it regulates the various functions and reproduction. It is formed of:
a. Nuclear membrane.
b. Nuclear sap (nucleoplasm).
c. Chromatin granules.
d. Karyosome (nucleolus or endosome): It is a DNA-containing body, situated centrally or peripherally within the nucleus.
What are the parts of protozoa responsible for nutrition?
Endoplasm and ectoplasm
What are the parts of protozoa responsible for reproduction?
Entoplasm and nucleus
What is the protoplasm?
It is the cytoplasm + nucleus
Movement of protozoa
Protozoa may move by pseudopodia, cilia, and flagella with or without undulating (wavy) membrane.
Respiration of protozoa
It may be by direct taking of oxygen or by using oxygen liberated from metabolic processes (anaerobic).
Nutrition of protozoa
It is through:
a. Absorption of liquid food.
b. Ingestion of solid material through the ectoplasm by pseudopodia or the cytostome (mouth) and become surrounded by food vacuoles.
- Digestive enzymes take in the food and the undigested particles are forced out through the surface of the body or through a specialized opening (cytopyge - anal canal).
Excretion of protozoa
It is performed by osmotic pressure, contractile vacuoles, diffusion, or cytopyge.
Secretion of protozoa
A protozoan cell can secrete βCd chat PPβ cyst wall, digestive enzymes, pigments, proteolytic enzymes, hemolysins, cytolysins, toxic and antigenic substances.
Reproduction of protozoa
The parasite multiplies only in the trophozoite stage. The methods of reproduction are of the following types: Asexual, sexual
Asexual reproduction of protozoa
- Simple binary fission: It is either longitudinal or transverse into two organisms.
- Multiple fission (schizogony, merogony, or sporogony): In this process, the nucleus undergoes several successive divisions followed by the division of cytoplasm into small parts to produce a large number of small merozoites or sporozoites within the schizont, e.g. Plasmodium.
Sexual reproduction of protozoa
Gametogony or Syngamy: It means fusion of two cells one is female (macrogamete) and the other is the male cell (microgamete), e.g. Plasmodium.
What is the common type of reproduction in protozoa?
Asexual
Can plasmodium reproduce in two ways?
Yes, asexual and sexual
Transmission of protozoa
- Simple life cycle: Intestinal and luminal protozoa require only one host, within which they multiply asexually, and transfer from one host to another directly.
- Complex life cycle: Most blood and tissue parasites pass alternatively in a vertebrate and an invertebrate host, this is called alternation of generation (i.e. transmission is indirect). Sexual multiplication occurs in one host and asexual multiplication in another host.
Classification of protozoa Acc to the organ of locomotion.
- Phylum: Sarcomastigophora (Amoebae and Flagellates):
a. Subphylum: Sarcodina (Amoebae): e.g. E.histolytica
b. Subphylum: Mastigophora (Flagellates): e.g. G.lamblia - Phylum: Ciliophora
- Phylum: Apicomplexa e.g. Plasmodium falciparum (malignant malaria)
What are the general prevention ways of protozoa and control strategy?
ο· Environmental sanitation ο· Health education ο· Case treatment ο· Pure water supply ο· Safe and clean food ο· Sanitary disposal of feces ο· Insect control
What is the classification of arthropods?
Class insecta and class arachnida
What are the characteristics of class Insecta?
Body:
Wings:
Legs:
Head, thorax, abdomen
Present or absent
Three pairs (Hexapoda)
What are the characteristics of class Arachnida?
Body:
Wings:
Legs:
- Cephalothorax, abdomen - one mass
- Absent
- Four pairs (Octopoda)
What is the medical importance of arthropods?
- Arthropods as disease agents:
- Dermatitis by the insect bite e.g., lice, mosquitoes.
- Inoculation of poisons e.g., ticks.
- Tissue invasion Sarcoptes scabiei (Scabies), larvae of flies (myiasis).
- Entomophobia: abnormal fear when seeing an arthropod (e.g., Spiders). - Arthropods as vectors for transmission of diseases agents, by:
- Mechanical transmission (Passive carrier), e.g. Typhoid fever by Musca fly.
- Biological transmission (Part of its Life cycle), e.g. Plague by Fleas
What are the general characters of mosquitos?
ο One pair of wings.
ο The female mouth is adapted for piercing & sucking of blood. Male feed on nectar.
ο Complete metamorphosis [Egg (on water surface) β> Larva (aquatic) β> Pupa (aquatic) β> Adult].
What is the medical importance of mosquitos? ( female transmits)
ο Human malaria (Anopheles spp.)
ο Lymphatic filariasis (Culex spp.) (elephantiasis is due to Normal mosquito)
ο Yellow fever, dengue fever (Aedes aegypti)