Parasitology Flashcards
What anatomical features can be used to determine taxonomic groups of nematodes?
- Structure of buccal capsule (teeth plates vs plates)
- Bursa
- Spicules
- Intestinal cells
- Features of eggs
Describe the common features of nematodes in the superfamily Trichuroidea
- Male posterior coiled
- Females longer
- Bioperculated eggs
What are the important genera found in the family Trichostrongylidae?
- Trichostrongylus
- Haemonchus
- Ostertagia
- Nematodirus
- Cooperia
- Hyostrongylus
- Teladorsagia
Describe the appearance of Nematodirus eggs
- Very large (175-75um)
- Obvious 2-8 cells (morula)
Describe the appearance of Strongyle eggs
- Similar to Nematodirus
- Thin shelled, conspicuous morula
- Know it isnt nematodirus as are only found in the horse
List the important families of the superfamily Strongyloidea
- Strongylidae (horses)
- Chabertiidae (sheep, pigs)
- Syngamidae (birds, pigs in tropics)
List the important genera of the family Strongylidae
- Strongylus
- Triodontophorus
- Cyathostomum
- Cylicocyclus
- Cylicodontophorus
- Cylicostephanus
What are the important genera of Charbertiidae?
- Charbertia
- Oesophagostomum
List the important families of the superfamily Ascaridoidea
- Ascaridiae
- Ascaridiidae
- Toxocaridae
- Hetrakidae
List the important genera of the family Ascarididae
- Ascaris
- Parascaris
- Toxascaris
Describe ascarid eggs
- Round
- Thick shelled
- Proteinaceous outer coating
- Very resistant
List the important abomasal worms of cattle
- Haemonchus placei
- Trichostrongylus axei
- OStertagia ostertagi
List the important small intestinal worms of cattle
- Cooperia oncophora
- Trichostrongylus colubriformis
- Nematodirus spathiger
- Chabertia
- Oesophagostomum
- Trichuris
Describe the general nematode life cycle
- Adult worms in GI tract (males and females)
- Strongyle-type egg in faeces
- Free-living L1 larval stage
- Free-living L2 larval stage
- Infective L3 in L2 sheath ingested with water droplets on herbage
- L4 migrating larvae wihin GI causing pathology
Describe the life cycle of Nematodirus
- Eggs in faeces
- Develop to L3 in egg
- L3 hatches
- Ingested with herbage
- Moult from L3 to L5 in host
Describe the life cycle of Ascarids
- Eggs in faeces
- L1 to L2 in eggs
- Eggs containing L2 ingested from contaminated pasture
- Hatch in intestine
- Migrate to HP vein and liver, L3 develops
- Migrate to heart and lungs (L4 develops)
- Coughed up and swallowed
- Adults develop in intestine
Describe the life cycle of Trichuris
- Eggs in faeces
- L1 in eggs
- Ingest eggs containg L1 from contaminated pasture
- Hatch in small intestine
- Migrate to LI
- Moult from L1 to L5 in host
Name the types of oesophagus present in nematodes
- Rhabditiform
- Filariform
- Bulb
- Double bulb
- Musculargalndular
- Trichuroid
Describe strongyle type eggs
- Elongated
- 75-95um x 40-50um
- Similar to hookworms, but larger
- Ends more pointed
- Lots of cells visible inside
Describe nematode respiration
- Gaseoues exchange across cuticle
- Aerobic and anaerobic phases
- TCA, glycolysis and alternative pathway
- Dependence on pathway varies with location and life cycle stage
- O2 in GIT low, free livign O2 high
- Glycolysis genetically wasteful, only 2 molecules of ATP vs 36-37 in TCA
- Glucose in abundance in intestine, wastefulness unimportant
- Glycogen is major energy reserve
- Some can use CO2 to benefit (few)
Describe the role of lipids in nematodes
- Important energy reserve in eggs adn free living larvae
- Used as energy source in aerobic conditions
- Cholesterol important sterol in cell membranes
- Sterols needed as hormon precursors
- Can also excrete/secrete lipids that influence host biology
Describe the role of tubulin and microtubules in the metazoan animals
- Similar to other eukaryotic organissm microtbules importat to the functioning of nematode cells
- alpha and beta-tubulin subunits form heterodimers
- Polymerised to form microtubules
- Meiosis, mitosis, cytokinesis and molecular transport utilise network of miccrotubules in nematodes
What are the muscle types found in nematodes?
- Longitudinal and radial
- NO circular!
Describe the muscles of nematodes
- Obliquely striated
- somatic muscles below cuticle used in locomotion
- Dense bodies rather than Z discs
- Each dense body and sarcomere attached directly to muscle cell membrane
- M line attaches filaments to each other and to the plasmalemma within each sarcomere
- Attached directly to motor neurones
Describe the locomotion of parasites
- Hydrostatic skeleton
- Force applied on off
- Forces opposed by hydrostatic pressure of coelom
- Dorso-ventral bending
- ACh = contraction = bends up, facilitated by GABA on top part = relaxation allowing bending
Describe the structure of the pharynx of nematodes
- Buccal capsule
- Procorpus
- Metacorpus
- Isthmus
- Terminal bulb
- Pharyngeal glands present
- pharyngeal muscles throughout pharynx
Describe the role of the pharynx
- Feeding
- Connects buccal capsule to intestine
- Secrete substances which may influence host biology
- Pumping action but also peristalsis
Describe the nematode nervous system
- Circumpharyngeal commissure (aka nerve brain)
- Around isthmus of pharynx
- System has a few hundred neurones (+ and -)
- Ventral dorsal nerve cords go back from nerve ring
- Connected by more commissures
- Pharyngeal nerves extend anterior from nerve ring
- Complex array of neurotransmitters and receptors
What are the important nematode neurotransmitters?
- ACh, GABA, glutamate, serotonin
- Dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline
What neurotransmitters of nematodes are teh best targets for therapeutics?
- ACh
- GABA
- Glutamate
- Serotonin
Describe the inhibitory neurotransmitters of nematode pharyngeal neurones
- Glutamate and GABA
- Bind to receptors in post-synaptic neuronal membranes
- Opens receptor, allows passage of Cl- but not cations
- Hyperpolarisation
- Inhibits muscle contraction
Describe the excitatory neurotransmitters of the pharyngeal nerves
- Serotonin induces rhythmic contractin of pharyngeal muscles (pumping)
- ACh controls rate of pharyngeal pumping
- Some FaRPS (not important)
Describe the action of ACh and GABA in locomotion
- ACh excitatory to contraction
- GABA inhibitory to contraction
- Antagonistic pair
- To generate upward flexion of body, ACh active on ventral side to generate contraction, GABA active on dorsal side to generate relaxation allowing flexion
Describe the role of GABA in nematode defaecation
- Excitatory for defaecation
- Need to defeacate when feeding otherwise will explode
What is the importance of nematode excretory/secretory produces?
- Make host environment beneficial to parasite
- Major source of nematode antigen
- Can inhibit contractino of host intestine preventing removal of parasite
What are some of the excreteory/secretory proteins produced by nematodes?
- AChE - function unknown
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide may secreted, may inhibit intestinal contraction
Describe some nematode lipids which influence host biology
- Polyunsaturated fats (arachidonic acid) react with cyclo-oxygenase to produce prostagalndins and leukotrienes
- Arachidonic acid can be used to produce unstable PG precursors, synthases produce series of PGs from these
- PGs inhibit immune response
Explain how benzimidazoles exert their action
- Inhibit beta-tubulin polymerisation
- No productino of microtubules
- Basic life processes not possible, no reproduction, eventually die
Explain how proton ionophores can be used as anthelmintics
- Alter H+ gradients
- No more synthesis of ATP
- Basic life processes cannot take place, unable to reproduce, die
Explain how diethylcarbamazine can be used in anthelmintics
- Blocks arachidonic acid synthesis
- No more production and secretion of PGs
- Unable to generate favourable host environment
- Immune system can tackle infection
Explain how GABA inhibitors can be used in anthelmintics
- GABA excitatoryto defaecation
- Need to defaecate when feeding or will explode
- Inhibitors e.g. ivermectin prevent this so wil die
What is meant by pseudocoelomate?
An invertebrate that has a fluid filled body cavity not lined with mesoderm tissue
What is meant by dioecious
Having male and female reproductive organs in separate organs
What is meant by cephalisation?
The concentration of sense organs, nervous control etc at the anterior end of the body forming head and brain both during evolution and during the course of the embryo’s development
What are nematodes, cestodes and trematodes?
- Nematodes: nemathelminths, roundworms
- Cestodes: platyhelminths, segmented flatworms
- Trematodes: platyhelminths, non-segmented flatworms
Describe gerenal features of nematodes
- Pseudocoelomate
- Bisymmetrical, non-segmented
- Dioecious
- Females larger than males
- 4 larval moults before becoming adults
- Usually L3 that are infectious
- Cephalisation
- Buccal capsule
- Oesophagus and digestive tract present
- Reproductive tract
- Complex nervous system with many different NTs