Protozoa Flashcards
Giardia lamblia
Foul smelling and fatty diarrhea. transmission = cysts in water. Dx: trophozoites - looks like a rasta or cysts in stool. Tx: metronidazole.
Entabmeoba histolytica
Amebiasis: bloody diarrhea, liver abscess (anchovy paste), RUQ pain with flask shaped ulcers. Cysts with multiple nuclei in stool. Tx: metronidazole
Cryptosporidium
Severe diarrhea in AIDS. Mild watery diarrhea in nonIC. Cysts on acid fast stain. tx = nitazoxanide
Toxoplasma gondii
Brain abscess in HIV (ring enhancing lesion on CT).
Congenital: triad of retininits, hydrocephalus, and intracranial calcifications. Transmission: cysts in meat or cat feces. Tx: sulfadiazine + pyrimethamine.
Naegleria fowleri
causes rapidly fatal encephalitis. transmission: swim in freshwater and enters via cribiform plate. Dx: amoebas in spinal fluid. Tx: amphotericin
Trypanosoma brucei
Disease: African sleeping sickness. Enlarged lymph nodes, recurring fever (antigenic variation), somnolence, and coma. Transmit: tsetse fly. Dx- blood smear. Tx - Suramin for blood borne disease or melarsoprol for CNS penetration.
Plasmodium
Malaria: fever, headache, anemia, splenomegaly.
vivax and ovale can be dormant in liver as hypnozoite. Transmission - mosquito. dx: ring in rbc. Tx: chloroquine. if life threatening - quinidine. for vivax/ovale and primaquine for hypnozoites in liver.
Babesia
Fever and hemolytic anemia. mostly in NE US. Maltese cross in rbc. transmission : ixodes tick (same borrelia burgdorferi of lyme disease…often coinfect) Tx: Atovaquone + Azithromycin.
Trypanosoma cruzi
Chagas Disease: Dilated cardiomyopathy, megacolon, megaesophagus. Mostly in South America. Transmission : Reduviid bug. Tx: Nifurtimox.
Leishmania donovani
Spiking fevers, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia. Transmission: sandfly. Dx: macrophages contain amastigotes. Tx: Sodium stibogluconate
Trichomonas vaginalis
vaginitis: foul smelling, green discharge. Sexual transmission. Motile trophozoites on wet mount. Tx: metronidazole for pt and partner.
Enterobius vermicularis
Nematode. Pinworm. Food with eggs. Ana pruritus and scotch tape test. tx: mebendazole or pyrantel pamoate
Ascaris lumbricoides
Nematode. Fecal oral. intestinal infection. Tx: bendazoles or pyrantel pamoate.
Strongyloides stercoralis
Nematode. Larvae in soil penetrate the skin. Intestinal infection. Tx: ivermectin or albendazole
Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus
Nematode. Hookworms. Larvae penetrate skin. Intestinal infection that causes anemia b/c worms suck blood from intestinal wall. Tx. Bendazoles or pyrantel pamoate.