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Trophozoite: has
1 nucleus. irregular
shaped.
Trophozoite causes ameobiasis.
Spread to body parts. For diagnosis,
fresh stool must be examined
immediately or kept at 4oC
movement by pseudopods
enteameoba hiltolytica: human pathogen
enteameoba dispar: commensal
10% of world is infected by E. dispar / histolytica. Majority is by
E. dispar.
Main sources:
1) water and food contamination by CYST from asymptomatic
carriers.
2) fecal-oral route
3) anal inoculation
4) arthropods
Diagnosis:
GIARDIA
Inhabit small intestine (duodenum and jejunum)
Like ameoba; trophozoite and cyst forms. Detected in fecal
specimens of infected people.
Divide by binary fission.
Transmission: contaminated food and water
Causes: water borne infection: diarhoea and malabsorption.
Trophozoites: badmington racket in shape. 2 nuclei. 4 flagellae.
Adhesive disc
Cyst: Oval shaped. 4 nuclei at anterior end. Flagella and
adhesive disc are lost.
Can survive in cold water for several months.
TRICHOMONAS
T.vaginalis No cyst forms.
Pathogenesis: Inhabit genitourinary tract and multpily by binary
fission. Causes degeneration and desquamation of local tissue.
Only form Trophozite is sensitive to and cannot survive in
external environmental conditions.
Only known HOST: HUMANS
Transmsion : Sexual and direct contact with contaminated
urine. Can live in moist clothes for 1 day and so sharing clothes
causes transmission.
Males are asymptomatic but are MAIN VECTORS. May cause
mild uretritis and prostatis.
OPPORTUNISTIC PROTOZOA
1) Crytosporidium
2) Isospora
3) Cyclospora
4) Microsporidia
Cryptosporidium
Causes waterborne and food borne diseases
2 oocyst forms:
1) thick walled: resistant to environmental conditions.
Excreted from the host. Does not suspend in water and
moves to everywhere. Has no surface tension.
2) Thin walled: causes autoinfection and infect other parts of
intestine.
*Oocyts are very resistant to environmental stressors and
chemical disinfectants. Can cause comtamination and infection
immediately.
Cyclospora:
Unlike cyrptosporidium, does not infect immediately. Needs
weeks.
Transmission: Sporulated oocytes are ingested in contaminated
food and water. Affect SMALL INTESTINE
Symptoms: watery diarhoea and steatorrhea (like giardia),
abdominal pain, weight loss, malaise, villus athropy.
Diagnosis: stool or biopsy examination. They are
autoflourescence - modified acid resistant staining.
Isospora
Microsporidia
Causes severe infections in AIDS and immunocompromised
patients.
Transmission: by small spores.
Penetrates host cells and can be find in any viscera.
Symptoms: severe diarhoea
Diagnosis: special staining under electromiscroscopy
PLASMODIUM
Vector: anopheles mosquito
4 main types: falciparum, vivax, maleriae, ovale
Generally they are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate
regions of the world.
Falciparum: tropical and subtropical regions. The most
dangerous. More common worldwide
Maleriae: subtrpical and tropical regions
Ovale: Africa, more prevalent than vivax.
Vivax: the most prevalent of human plasmodia. widest
geographical distribution including tropical, subtropical and
temperate regions. cyprus
Has
typical
banana
shaped
gametocyt
ring
form
Symtoms: 9-14
incubation period for vivax,
and falciparum.
days
ovale
BABESIA
Zoonotic infection: affects cows, sheeps etc.
Thick borne.
Fatal in splenectomized spleen.
No sucessful treatment
Can be misdiagnosed with maleria.
LEISMANIA
Vector: female sandfyl PHLEBOTOMUS
Zoonotic infection but affects humans.
2 types
1) old world: visceral and cutaenous
2) new world: visceral, cutaneous and mucocutaneous
Cutaneous leishmaniasis
Lesions are found at the site infection. Starts with erythamatous
painless itchy papules. Then lesions enlarge and ulcerates
ulcers resemble to volcano with crusted margins and necrotic
base. Sample must be taken from the margins.
Self limited
If not treated, scars are formed.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis
Affects mucocutaenous junctions in pharynx and then
disseminate to nose, palate and mouth. Some spread
throughout the skin leading to disseminated cutaneous
leishmaniasis
TRYPONOSOMIASIS
2 types:
1) African : sleeping sickness
2) American : chagas disease
African trypanosomiasis sleeping sickness
Vector: Tse tse fly
Resorvoir: antilopes and pigs - Zoonotic
2 forms:
*Epimastigotes are in tse tse fly.
*Trypomastigotes are formed in human bloodstream, CNS and
lymph nodes.
3 phases;
1) 1st phase: tsetse fly bites from upper site of the body, next
to head. Chancre, fever, headache, joint pain and itching.
2) 2nd phase: BBB is broken reaches brain tissue and
infects CNS. day time sleeping, confussion, sensory
disturbances, poor coordination and coma
3) 3rd phase: coma
***There is ANTIGENIC VARIATION IN AFRICAN TRYPANOSOME to
escape immune system.
American trypanosomiasis
Vector : triatomine bug / kissing bug
Triatomine bug takes a blood meal and defacates
trypomastigotes. Chagoma, a local lesion, appears at the site of
inoculation. Organism enters the body by scratching the wound
or through intact skin such as conjuctiva. They transform into
amastigotes in CNS, lymph nodes and bloodstream. Acute
phase is asymptomatic but fever, anorexia,
hepatosplenomagaly and lymphadenopathy can be observed.
When amastigotes reach heart and invade cardiac tissues,
myocarditis occurs. Then disease progresses to chronic
symptomatic stage in which heart enlarges, cannot function
properly and cardiomyopathy occurs.
Transmission: by triatomine bugs, blood transfussion, organ
transplantation, transplacentally or lab accidents.
TOXOPLASMA
Zoonotic disease
Main resorvoir and definitve host: cats (sexual reproduction
takes place in intestine)
intermediate host: humans and wild animals
Transmission:
1) cat feaces contaning oocyst
2) ingestion of contaminated raw meat/egg which contain
tissue cysts..
3) Outbreaks occur when humans inhale contaminated dust
or food/water
4) blood/organ transfussion
5) lab accidents
Infective stage occurs when contaminated food/water remains
at least for 2 days for maturation of oocytes.
Oocytes or trophozoites / TACHOZOITES infect nucleated cells
intracellular pathogens. During acute infection, proliferation of
tachozoites kills the cell and results in tissue damage.
Very damgerous for babies since the organisms can pass
transplacentally. If infected in 1st trimester, abortion occurs. If
infected before the pregnancy, it is not a problem since
antibodies against toxoplasma are already produced.
2 types of toxoplasmosis;