Parasitology Flashcards
Onchocerciasis - organism
Onchocerca volvulus
Onchocerciasis - geographical distribution
Africa
Onchocerciasis - transmission
Simulium (blackflies) that are day biting outdoors and breed in rapids
Onchocerciasis - life cycle
- Blackfly with L3 larvae bites human and injects into skin
- L3 larvae migrate to the subcutaenous tissue and mature into adult worms, forming nodules
- Adult worms produce microfilariae which migrate to the skin and eyes causing symptoms
- Blackfly ingests Mf
- L1 –> L3 larvae in the blackfly midgut
Onchocerciasis symptoms
Itching
Skin nodules and can develop atrophy, lizard skin chronically
Eye disease - punctate keratitis, anterior uveitis, secondary cataracts, optic atrophy
Late stage - retinal changes, sub-conjunctival haemorrhage
Epilepsy
Poor growth
Onchocerciasis - diagnostics
Skin snip
Antibody testing (Ov16)
Onchocerciasis - treatment
Ivermectin - although does not kill adult worms and cannot give in concurrent loa loa infection
Doxycycline to eradicate Wolbachia
Onchocerciasis - prevention
- Blackfly vector control - insecticides
- MDA
- Cross border collaboration
What are the two types of helminths?
Platyhelminths (like a flattened patty-cake) –> Flat worms (flukes and tapeworms)
Nematodes - Round worms
Intermediate host (helminths)
Hosts the larval stage
Definitive host
Hosts the sexually mature adult
Cestodes = ribbon-like flat worms
What are the most important species?
Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm)
Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) (larval infection=cysticercosis)
Dihyllobothrium spp (fish tapeworm)
Echinococcus spp (dog and fox tapeworms) (larval infection=hydatid cyst)
Nematodes - what are the most important species?
Intestinal:
Hookworm
Ascaris
Trichuris
Strongyloides
Subcutaneous tissue:
Wucheria bancrofti
Brugia
What is Chagas disease?
A parasitic infection caused by trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted by triatoma bugs (rhodnius and panstrongylus)
Chagas disease - life cycle
- Triatoma bug bites and there is faecal inoculation
- Tryponmatigotes penetrate cells at the bite wound site and inside the cells they turn into amastigotes
- Intracellular amastigotes turn into trypomastigotes
Chagas disease transmission
Triatoma bug bite
Vertical transmission
Oral ingestion
Transplants/transfusion
Chagas - diagnostics
Serology (x2 - ELISA and IFAT)
PCR
Microscopy
Chagas symptoms
GI: Dysphagia, mega-oesophagus
Cardiac: Heart block, cardiomyopathy and heart failure
In immunocomprimised: fever, rash, myocarditis and SOL in HIV
Chagas treatment
Benznidazole 60 days
Side effects: Rash, numbness/peripheral neuropathy, weight loss
What is romana’s sign?
T cruzi infection through the conjunctiva
Management of asymptomatic Chagas
Consider benznidazole 60 days to prevent vertical transmission, in immunocompromised or immunocompetent with asymptomatic disease
ECG screening +/- echocardiogram
Hookworm - organism
Ancyclostoma duodenale
Necator americanus
Hookworm - transmission
Penetration of skin by L3 larvae
Oral ingestion of unwashed vegetation with L3 larvae on
Hookworm lifecycle
- Filariform larva penetrates the skin
- Exit circulation in the lungs
- Coughed up and swallowed into the intestine
- Eggs leave in the faeces
- Larvae atched and develop into a filariform larva in the environment
Hookworm - skin features
- Ground itch
- Cutaneous larva migrans (from cat + dog hookworm only as it cannot complete the lifecycle)
Hookworm - lung clinical features
Dry cough/wheeze
Loeffler’s syndrome (eosinophilic pneumonitis)
Hookworm - abdominal clinical features
Nausea, abdo pain, diarrhoea
Anaemia
Cognitive impairment in children
Hookworm - diagnostics
Stool OCP
60microns, thin wall like a pencil
Hookworm treatment
Albendazole or mebendazole
Ivermectin
Strongyloides - organism
Strongyloides stercoralis
Strongyloides - transmission
Penetration through the skin, often the soles of the feet
Strongyloides hyperinfection
Driven by autoinfection in the context of immunosuppression
Asexual reproduction by adult females in the gut –> L3 larvae can autoinfect internally through the intestinal mucosa or externally via perianal skin
Leading to disseminated strongyloides in multiple organs
Associations: Steroids, HTLV1, transplant. NOT HIV
Strongyloides skin manifestation
Pruritic dermatitis at site of initial penetration
Urticarial rash in the context of autoinfection
Cutaneous larva currens
Differentials for migratory swellings (9)
- Cutaneous larva migrans (Ancylostoma braziliense, Ancylostoma caninum).
- Strongyloidiasis (Strongyloides stercoralis).
- Gnathostomiasis (Gnathostoma spp.).
- Loiasis (Loa loa).
- Dracunculiasis (Dracunculus medinensis).
- Toxocariasis (Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati).
- Filariasis (Mansonella spp., Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi).
- Fascioliasis (Fasciola hepatica).
- Trichinosis (Trichinella spiralis)
Disseminated strongyloidiasis symptoms
Lung: ARDS Cough, SOB, wheeze, pulmonary haemorrhage, ARDS
Intestine: Ulceration with bacterial translocation and GN bacteraemias, small bowel obstruction, chronic diarrhoea
Nephrotic syndrome
Larva currens STRAIGHT LINEAR RASH
Strongyloidiasis - diagnostics
Diagnosis: Stool OCP
Sputum for larvae in disseminated disease
Eosinophilia
Serology (in returning travellers, not those from endemic setting)
Strongyloides treatment
- Ivermectin
- Albendazole
Trichuris - clinical features
Chronic trichuris colitis
Gut wall odoema + haemorrhage + rectal prolapse
Trichuris - microscopic features
50-55 microns
Tea tray
Trichuris - treatment
Benzimidazoles
Ascaris lymbricoides - clinical features
Migrates to lung so causes Loeffler’s
GI: intestinal obstruction, biliary obstruction, hepatic abscess
malnutrition
Cestodes - definition
Ribbon like flatworms with segments (proglottids) and a head (scolex) with suckers that attach to the intestinal wall
Taenia saginata - transmission and clinical syndrome
Beef tapeworm
Humans eat contaminated beef, adult worm evolves in the gut and poo out the eggs
Intra-abdominal symptoms, may have the worms around the anus
Taenia saginata - microscopic findings
4 suckers, no hooks
Egg looks like a bike wheel, just over 30 microns
Cystercicosis - organism
Taenia solium
Cystercicosis life cycle
Humans eat pig meat containing cysts or may eat the eggs directly from infected human poo
Taenia solium- clinical presentation
Intestinal infection from eating the adult worm is often mild (i.e. pig meat)
But tissue infection with the larval form from eating eggs (i.e. cystercisosis) can be really severe with seizures secondary to neurocystercicosis
Taenia solium
Differentiate from taenia saginata because of presence of hooks
Diphyllobothrium - life cycle
Copepods eaten by freshwater fish eaten by human.
Develops into an adult in small intestine
Proglottids release the immature eggs which pass into the faeces and back into the water supply
Coracidia hatch from the egg and are eaten by crustaceans
Diphyllobothrium clinical features
GI disturbance
Anaemia (B12 deficiency)
Diphyllobothrium microscopic features
Oval with an operculum, measuring just over 60 microns
Echinococcus granulosus
Dogs are the definitive host
Humans are accidental intermediate hosts by accidentally eating the eggs
No adult worms in the body
Echinococcus granulosus - clinical features
No adult worms in the body
Hydatid diseases
Liver/lung cysts
Anaphylaxis secondary to rupture of these cysts
Echinococcus multilocularis - disease
Alveolar echinococcus