Parasitology Flashcards
Where are Protozoa found?
Digestive system
Blood
Water
Soil
What is a Protozoa?
Eukaryotic, essentially single called animals
What are the limitations to where parasitic protozoans can live?
Need a vector or host
Don’t necessarily need a host but parasitic is adapted to host
Example of a flagellate (mastigophora)
Giardia duodenalis
Example of amoeba (sarcodina)
Entamoeba histolitica
Example of ciliate (ciliophora)
Paramecium spp.
Example of sporozoan (apicomplexa)
Plasmodium spp.
Appearance of giardia duodenalis cyst
Nuclei
Remains of flagella
7 micro meters
(Trophozoite)
Appearance of entamoeba histolytica cyst
1-4 nuclei
Faecal smear with iodine stain
12 micro meters
Faecal debris around it
Appearance of paramecium
Elongated
Cilia
Appearance of plasmodium falciparum
Trophozoites in blood slides stained with giemsa stain
Pink nucleus, blue cytoplasm
RBC infected
Faecal oral transmission
Which parasitic Protozoa are transmitted through this route?
E. Histolytica
C. Parvum
I. Belli
G. Duodenalis
How many species of giardia are there?
6- but a different number of strains in each species
Found in cattle, sheep, beavers, guinea pigs, chinchillas and other mammals
Also present in humans
Each species have a restricted host range, duodenalis is only found in humans
What does recent work with giardia reveal?
There may be movement of parasite strains between different animal hosts (e.g. G.duodenalis in other animals)
What is the life cycle of giardia?
Cyst in ingested in contaminated food or water
Travels through alimentary canal yo small intestine - here they open out (excyst) into the flagellate form
In small intestine - it attaches to gut wall using suction
Absorb nutrients from host gut contents
Start to multiply and detach from gut wall to move around inside the intestine
Patient has very loose bowel movements, greyish fatty faeces
As flagellates pass through the large intestine it closes up into the resistant cyst form- passed in the faeces and can persist in water or on food for several weeks
Faeces may contain flagellates that do not survive long outside body or infect another host
What does the faeces of a patient having giardia duodenalis have?
Greyish, H2S smell