Week 4 - Intro to Parasite Skin Infections

Question 0

What is unique about parasites?

Answer 0

1. They can be difficult to classify because they cause disease in multiple systems
2. Can be unicellular or multicellular
3. Can be vector transmitted or acquired directly

Question 1

Why do antiparasitics often have side effects?

Answer 1

Parasites and eukaryotes and its difficult to find drugs with specificity against the parasite vs. the host

Question 2

If an antiparasite is given orally. . .

Answer 2

it must be well absorbed into the bloodstream. You have to consider whether it can kill all stages of the parasite & must be able to get where the organism is present

Question 3

What groups do parasites most commonly occur in in the US?

Answer 3

Immigrants & people who have traveled to endemic areas

Question 4

What is onchocerciasis treatment?

Answer 4

IVERmectin for rIVER blindness

Question 5

What organism is associated with Chagas’ disease and what is associated with African sleeping sickness?

Answer 5

Chagas - Trypanosoma cruzi

Sleeping Sickness - Trypanosoma brucei

Question 6

What drug crosses the blood brain barrier and 5-10% of people who take it will get reactive encephalopathy and half of those will die? What does it treat?

Answer 6

Melarsoprol

-African Sleeping Sickness (African Trypanosomiasis)

Question 7

What’s the drug of choice for Chagas disease? What’s its mechanism?

Answer 7

Nifurtimox
-causes oxidative stress by inhibiting NADPH dependent dehydrogenases and impairing the mitochondrial membrane potential - Benznidazole has similar mechanisms