Summary of Intestinal and luminal protozoa

Organism Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment

GI: Iodoquinol or
Dysentery with blood and Stool: cysts with 1-4 nuclei
Entameba
Oro-fecal necrotic tissue. and/or trophs. Metronidazole
histolytica
Chronic: abscesses Trophs in aspirate.
Abscess: Metronidazole
Fowl-smelling, bulky
Stool: typical old man giardia
Giardia lamblia Oro-fecal diarrhea; blood or necrotic Iodoquinol or Metronidazole.
troph and/or cyst.
tissue rare.

Dysentery with blood and

Stool: ciliated trophs and/or
Balantidium coli Oro-fecal; zoonotic necrotic tissue but no Iodoquinol or Metronidazole.
cysts.
abscesses.
Cryptosporidium
Oro-fecal Diarrhea Ooocysts in stool Paromycin (investigational)
parvum

Isospora belli Oro-fecal Giardiasis-like Ooocysts in stool Sulpha drugs

Trichomonas Vaginitis; occasional Flagellate in vaginal (or Mebendazole; vingar douche;

Sexual
vaginalis urethritis/prostatitis. urethral) smear. steroids

Summary of Parasitology
Prepared by: Micromega2008@gmail.com

Summary of Blood and tissue protozoa

Organism Transmission Disease/ symptoms Diagnosis Treatment

Sleeping sickness; Hemoflagellate in blood Blood stage: Suramin or

Trypanosoma brucei Tsetse fly.
cardiac failure. or lymph node. petamidine isethionate;

Chagas disease:
Reduvid (kissing) Hemoflagellate in blood CNS: melarsoperol
T. cruzi megacolon, cardiac
bug. or tissue. Nifurtimox and Benzonidazole.
failure.
Visceral leish-maniasis, Intracellular
Pentosam; Pentamidine
Leishmania donovani Sand fly granulo-matous skin (macrophages)
isethionate.
lesions. leishmanial bodies.
L. tropica Sand fly. Cutaneous lesions. As for L. donovani. As for L. donovani.

L. braziliensis Sand fly Mucocutaneous lesions. As for L. donovani. As for L. donovani.

Plasmodium
Malarial paroxysm: Plasmodia in rbc, Quinine derivatives
falciparum Female anopheline
chills, fever, headache, typical of the species Proguanil
P. ovale, P. malariae mosquito.
nausea cycles. involved. Lariam
and P. vivax

Hemolytic anemia, Typical organism

Babesia microti Tick None; self resolving.
Jaundice and fever (Maltese cross) in rbc.

Adult: flu like;

Oral from cat fecal Intracellular (in
congenital: abortion, Sulphonamides, pyemethamine,
Toxoplasma gondii material; macrophages)
neonatal blindness and possibly spiramycin (non-FDA).
or meat tachyzoites.
neuropathies.

Pneumocystis in Trimethoprim and

Pneumocystis jiroveci Cough droplets Pneumonia
sputum. sulphamethoxazole.

Summary of Nematodes (Round worms)

 Organism Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Abdominal pain, weight loss, distended Stool: corticoid oval egg
Ascaris lumbricoides Oro-fecal Mebendazole
abdomen (40-70x35-50 μm)
Depends on worm location and burden:
Medical history, corticosteroid
Poorly cooked gastroenteritis; edema, muscle pain, spasm;
Trichinella spiralis eosinophilia, muscle and
pork eosinophilia, tachycardia, fever, chill headache,
biopsy, serology Mebendazole
vertigo, delirium, coma, etc.
Abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, prolapsed Stool: lemon-shaped
Trichuris trichiura Oro-fecal Mebendazole
rectum egg (50-55 x 20-25μm)
Stool: embryonated Pyrental
Peri-anal pruritus, rare abdominal pain, nausea
Enterobius vermicularis Oro-fecal eggs (60x27 μm), flat pamoate or
vomiting
on one side Mebendazole
Itching at infection site, rash due to larval
Strongyloides Soil-skin, migration, verminous pneumonia, mid- Stool: rhabditiform Ivermectin or
stercoralis autoinfection epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, bloody larvae (250x 20-25μm) Thiabendazole
dysentery, weight loss and anemia
Oro-fecal
Necator americanes; Maculopapular erythema (ground itch),
(egg); skin Stool: oval segmented
Ancylostoma broncho-pneumonitis, epigastric pain, GI Mebendazole
penetration eggs (60 x 30 20-25μm)
duodenale(Hookworms) hemorrhage, anemia, edema
(larvae)
Dracunculus Oral: cyclops
Blistering skin, irritation, inflammation Physical examination Mebendazole
medinensis in water
Medical history,
Wuchereria bancrofti; Mebendazole;
Recurrent fever, lymph-adenitis, splenomegaly, physical examination,
W. brugia Malawi Mosquito bite Diethyl-
lymphedema, elephantiasis microfilaria in blood
(elephantiasis) carbamazine
(night sample)
Medical history,
Mebendazole;
Nodular and erythematous dermal lesions, physical examination,
Onchocerca volvulus Black fly bite Diethyl-
eosinophilia, urticaria, blindness microfilaria in nodular
carbamazine
aspirate
Loa loa Deer fly As in onchocerciasis As in onchocerciasis As above

Summary of Cestodes (tapeworms)

Organism Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Proglottids or eggs in stool or
Tenia saginata Cyst in beef Epigastric pain, vomiting, diarrhea Praziquantel
perianal area
Proglottids or eggs in stool or
Tenia solium Cyst in pork Epigastric pain, vomiting, diarrhea Praziquantel
perianal area
T. solium Muscle pain and weakness, ocular Roentgenography, anti-
Oro-fecal Praziquantel
Cysticercosis and neurologic problems cysticercal antibody (EIA)

Abdominal pain, loss of weight,

Proglottids or eggs in stool or
D. latum Cyst in fish anorexia, malnutrition and B12 Praziquantel
perianal area
deficiency problems
Surgery, formalin
Large cysts produce various Roentgenography, anti-hydatid
injection and
E. granulosus Oro-fecal symptoms depending on the location fluid antibody (EIA), Casoni
drainage,
of the organism. skin test
Praziquantel
E. multiloculoris Oro-fecal As above As above Surgery, Albendazole

Summary of Trematodes (Flukes)

Organism Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
S. mansoni, S. skin penetration by Dermatitis, abdominal pain, bloody stool, peri-portal
Eggs in stool Praziquantel
japonicum cercaria fibrosis, hepato-splenomegaly, ascites, CNS
Schistosoma skin penetration by Dermatitis, urogenital cystitis, urethritis and bladder
Eggs in urine Praziquantel
hematobium cercaria carcinoma
Fasciolopsis Metacercaria on
Epigastric pain, nausea, diarrhea, edema, ascites Eggs in stool Praziquantel,
buski water chestnut
C. sinensis,
Inflammation and deformation of bile duct, hepatitis,
O. felinus, or Cysts in fish Eggs in stool Praziquantel
anemia and edema
O. viverini
Paragonimus Cough (dry / rusty brown sputum), pulmonary pain,
Cyst in crab meat Eggs in sputum Praziquantel
westermani pleurisy, tuberculosis-like