Protazoa Infections Flashcards
Malaria key points
Pathogen - P.falciparum/vivax/malariae/ovale
Vector - Female anopheles mosquito
Life Cycle - Colonises liver then RBC
Symptoms - Cyclical fever
Investigations - Blood films
Treatment - Quinine, doxy
Key points in Chagas (American Trypanosomiais/Kissing Disease)
Pathogen - Trypanasoma Cruzi
**Vector **- Triatomine Bugs
**Life Cycle **- Bugs bite host (Kissing) and sratched in. It infects tissue and forms amastigote nets which can cause cardiac failure. Bugs reingest them.
Symptoms - Purpish swelling around bite, fever, headache. Chronic symptoms over 20 years of cardiac failure
**Prevention **- Insecticedes, blood testing, house hygeine
Key points in Sleeping Sickness (African trypanosomiasis)
Pathogen - Trypanosoma brucei gambiense/rhodesiense
Vector - Tsetse Fly
Life cycle - Fly injects where they spread to the CNS causing sleepiness and confusion which is fatal if left.
**Control **- Bright traps, pesticides, education, sterlising males, screenin
Key points in giardia
**Pathogen **- Giardia Lamblia - common in travellers
Common in travellers - gets to duodenum
Symptoms - prolonged diarrhoea, flatulence, greasy stools
**Diagnosis **- Stool samples although these can often be negative
**Treatment **- Metronidazole
Key points in Amoebiasis/Amoebic dysentary
Pathogen - E.histolytica
**Key points **- Released from stool and colonizes large bowel. Can be asymptomatic, intestical or extraintestnal.
**Symptoms **- Dysentary
Diagnosis - Via stool sample
Treatment - Antibiotics
Key points in Trichomaniasis
Pathogen - Trichomanisasis vaginalis
This is the most common non Viral STD and causes inflammation and discharge if symptomatic. It is however often asymptomatic
Key points in Leishmaniasis
**Pathogen **- Leishmaniasis species
Vector - Sandfly
**Key points **- It enters and leaves via the sandfly and can cause
Symptoms - cutaneous - boils which last years and scar
mucosal
Visceral - life threatening hepatosplenomagaly
It is detected via tissue samples and antigen testing
Key points in Toxoplasmosis
Pathogen - Toxoplasmo gandii
Key points - The cat is the definitive host but it infects humans, rats, sheep and birds.
It is excreted via faeces and is most dangerous to pregnant women where it can cause miscarriage, still birth or head size changes
OT (Ocular toxoplasmosis) causes blindess
VT (Visceral toxoplasmosis) causes fever and pneumonia
Key points in Cryptosporidiosis
Pathogen - Cryptosporidium species
Key points - Causes diarrhoea and cysts leave rectally and are ingested by the next human, commonly in swimming pools, jacuzzis etc.
It is treated via fluid management
