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1 - Parasitology Introduction

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12 views29 pages

1 - Parasitology Introduction

Uploaded by

ngowianna89
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Parasitology 1

Introduction
PARASITOLOGY

 Study of parasites that infect man and cause


diseases
 Parasites to be studied include:
- Protozoa (unicellular microbes)
- Helminthes (worms)
- Ectoparasites
What is a Parasite?
 Organism living on or in another organism
(host) which is of a different species, and by
doing so depends on host for its nutrient
survival requirements.
 It is important to note that between the two
species one partner (parasite) will benefit,
where as the other (host) may be affected as
far as health is concerned
 In this case we may observe occurrence of
disease as a result of infection
Types of Parasites
1. Ectoparasites
– inhabit the body surface only without
penetrating into tissue. E.g. lice, ticks,
mites (important vectors transmitting
pathogenic microbes)
- here the term infestation is employed
instead of infection with ectoparasite
2. Endoparasites
- Live within body of the host
- All protozoan & helminthic parasites are
endoparasites
Types of Host
1. Definitive Host
- This the host where adult parasite
lives or where parasite reaches sexual
maturity and sexual mode of
reproduction takes place
- E.g. Man for filaria, roundworm,
hookworm etc
2. Intermediate Host
- This is the host where the larva stages
lives or where asexual multiplication
takes place
- Usually parasite undergoes
morphological or physiological change in it
-This host is required by parasite to complete
its life cycle
E.g. Man for malaria, hydatid disease
3. Paratenic Host
- Optional transport host
- There is normally no detectable
morphological change in parasite
4. Resevoir Host
- Vertebrate species in which the
parasite passes its life cycle and which
may act as the source of infection for man
5. Vector
- Host that plays an active role in
transmission, can be a definitive or
intermediate host.
Biological et Mechanical vec
Parasite infecting Man
may be:
1. Proliferous
- proliferate in the human (multiplies)
to cause high intensity of infection
- Protozoa parasites are proliferous
- Most adult helminthes do not multiply
in the human body
2. Non – proliferous
- Do not proliferate in the human body
- High intensity of infection results from
repeated infection as in roundworms,
or from high multiplicity of initial infection
as in trichinosis
Zoonotic infection
- Parasite infections man aquires from
animals
a) Domestic zoonoses – involves domestic
aninmals
b) Feral or Sylvatic zoonoses – involves wild
animals
Anthroponoses
- infections with parasites species
maintained in man alone
Zooanthroponoses
- infection with parasite species
involving both man and animals e.g beef &
pork tapeworm
Sources of infection
1. Soil
- Embroynated eggs in soil may be
ingested e.g Round worms, Whip
worms
- Infective larvae present in soil may
penetrate exposed skin e.g
Strongyloides, Hookworm
2. Water
- Infective form present in water may be
swallowed e.g eggs of roundworms, cysts of
amoeba, giardia
- Water containing intermediate host may be
swallowed eg infection with guinea worm
occurs in water by drinking water
contaminated with intermediate host cyclops
- Infective larvae in water may penetrate
skin e.g cercariae of schistosomes
- Free living parasites in water may
enter through vulnerable sites eg.
Naegleria may enter through nasopharynx
and cause meningoencephalitis
3. Food
- Feacal contamination eg amoebic
cysts, pinworm eggs
- Meat containing infective larva eg Pork
(Taenia solium, Trichinella spiralis)
4. Insect vectors
a) Biological vectors
- Mosquito - > Malaria, filariasis
- Tsetsefly - > Sleeping sickness
b) Mechanical vectors
- Housefly - > amoebiasis, cholera,
diahroea
5. Animals
Domestic e.g. beef tape worms
Wild e.g. Wild game animals ( Trypanasomiasis)
Fish eg fish tapeworm
Molluscs e.g Schistosomes

6. Other persons
Carriers and patients
This includes
- all anthroponotic infections
- vertical transmission of congenital infections
7. Self autoinfection
- Finger to mouth e.g. pinworms
- Internal re-infection e.g Strongyloides
Modes of infection

1. Oral transmission
- through contaminated food, water,
soiled fingers
2. Skin transmission
- entry through skin penetration
- larva may penetrate skin of person
walking barefoot
3. Vector transmission
4. Direct transmission
- person to person in contact:
a) Kissing (gingival amoebae)
b) Sexual intercourse ( T.vaginalis)
-inhalation of airborne eggs (pinworms)
Pathogenesis of
parasitic infections
Pathogenic mechanisms in parasites infection:
1. Intracellular protozoa
- damage and destroy cells eg malaria on
RBC causing anaemia
2. Enzymes & lytic necrosis
- enzymes produced can induce lytic
necrosis eg E.histolytica lyses interstinal cells,
enabling it to penetrate the gut producing
abscesses and ulcers
3. Physical obstruction
- Masses of roundworms eg Ascaris
can cause intestinal obstruction
- Single worm can also cause
damage when it blocks eg
appendix or bile duct etc
- Hydatid cyst puts pressure to
surrounding tissue ( serious
damage if pressure is a vulnerable
site such as the brain/eye
4. Host immune response to infection
- Fatal anaphylactic shock may
occasionally be caused by escape of
hydatid fluid from cyst
5. Malignancy
- Liver flukes (bile duct carcinoma)
- S. haematobium ( bladder cancer)
7. Migration
- migrating parasites may seed bacteria &
viruses in ectopic foci leading to disease
(Strongyloidiasis, particularly in the
immunocompromised may result in
gram –ve bacillary septicaemia
due to migrating worm transporting
intestinal bacteria to the circulation
- Physical damage tby migrating Ascari
worm
Immunity to Parasitic
infections
Immunologic protection is less efficient as
compared to bacteria and viruses:
1. A number of protozoa (Malaria, leishmania)
are intracellular (helps to hide them from
the immune system)
2. Many live in body cavities eg intestine –
location does not allow efficient
immunological attack, it rather facilitates
dispersal of infective form
3. Secretory IgA which normally is very efficient
against luminal viral infections, does not
appear to defend parasitic infections
4. Some live in cysts ( cysts are partly
composed of host tissue), and thus become
relatively safe from immunologic attack
5. Antigenic variation
– allows long persistance of parasite as
in Trypanasomiasis
6. Immunodiagnosis
- Not reliable due to antigen cross
reaction

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