How are parasites classified?
1) Multicellular |
2) Unicellular |
3) Ectoparasites |
What is a protozoan?
Unicellular organism that is a chemoorganoheterotroph, often further classified based on its mode of motility or lack there of.
Unicellular organism that is a chemoorganoheterotroph, often further classified based on its mode of motility or lack there of.
Mode of motility
- Cilia
- Flagella
- Pseudopodia
Entamoeba histolytica
Mode of transmission: Cycts enter the body through contaminated food or water, fecal-oral route. Disease: amebic dysentery |
Naegleria fowleri
Mode of transmission: water containing Naegleria fowleri enters the nose, usually while swimming Disease: primary amebic meningoencephalitis |
Trypanosoma brucei
Note the two sub species; T. b gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense Mode of transmission: Vector born transmission, tsetse fly. Disease: trypanasomiasis, African sleeping sickness |
Trypanosoma cruzi
Mode of transmission: vector born transmission, Triatome ("Kissing") bug. Disease: trypanosomiasis, chagas disease |
Giardia lamblia
Mode of transmission: fecal contaminated water or food is ingested. Person to person transmission occurs under poor hygiene, fecal oral route. Disease: giardiasis, beaver fever |
Trichomonas vaginalis
Mode of transmission: sexually transmitted disease. Disease: trichomoniasis, strawberry cervix |
Balantidium coli
Mode of transmission: eating and drinking contaminated food and water that has come into contact with infective animal or human fecal matter, fecal oral route. Disease: balantidiasis |
Cryptosporidium parvum **
Mode of transmission: Transmitted through the fecal-oral route, direct contact with infected humans or animals, contaminated food or water and aerosols. Disease: Cryptosporidiosis |
Toxoplasma gondii
Mode of transmission: Primarily affects cats; eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. The parasite is then passed in the cat's feces in an oocyst form, then can affect humans through inhalation of the oocyst. Most importantly T. gondii can infect pregnant women and terminate the fetus. Disease: toxoplasmosis |
Plasmodium falciparum**,
Plasmodium vivax** Mode of transmission: vector born disease, Anopheles spp. Disease: malaria |
