Introduction to
parasitology
.Prepared by:- Elsadig.A.Elhag
MS.c . Microbiology & parasitology department
Introduction
• Parasite-
A living organism which receives nourishment and
shelter from another organism where it lives.
Parasitology :- is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the
relationship between them
• Medical parasitology :-deals with the parasites which
infect man, the diseases they produce, the response generated by
him against them and various methods of diagnosis and
prevention.
?Why study Parasitology
– Many of these parasites are causative agents of major public health
problems of the world.
– Recent estimates of prevalence of parasites in the world are:
Ascaris 1.5 billion
1.3 billion Hookworms
Filarial worms 657 million
Malaria 500 million
Schistosomes 210 million
Amebiasis 50 million
Taenia tapeworms 50 million
Chagas’ Disease 15 million
– These parasites cause varying morbidities and even mortalities
Classes of parasites
1-Ecto-parasite (Ectozoa):Lives outside on the surface of the
body of the host
2- Endoparasite -lives inside the body of the host, in the blood,
tissues, body cavities, digestive tract and other organs.
3-Temporary parasite -Visits its host for a short period.
4- Permanent parasite - leads a parasitic life throughout the
whole period of its life.
5- Facultative parasite -Lives a parasitic life when opportunity
arises.
6- Obligatory parasite - Cannot exist without a parasitic life
.Contd
7-Occasional or Accidental Parasite-when a parasite
attacks an unnatural host and survives. E.g.
Hymenolepis diminuta (rat tapeworm).
8- Wandering or Aberrant parasite -Happens to
reach a place where it cannot live.
9-Free living-The term free living describes the non
parasitic stages of existence which are lived
independently of a host. E.g. some parasite have
active free living stages in the soil.
Parasitology
Divisions of Parasitology:
1. Protozoa
2. Helminthes
a. Roundworms (nematodes)
b. Flatworms – Cestodes (tapeworm)
Trematode (fluke)
• Parasitism
An association in which the parasite derives benefit and the host gets nothing
in return but always suffers some injury. A parasite has lost its power of
independent life.
Host: organism harboring the parasite species may be affected or not.
:Classification of Hosts
1-Definitive host:
The final host harbors the adult or sexual stage of the
parasite.
2-Intermediate host:
in which you have the larva or sexual stages or Inter mediate
stages in the development.
3-Reservoir host (carrier):
the carrier host is well adapted to the parasite and tolerates the
infection but serve as source of the infection to other organisms.
.Contd
Vector-A vector is an agent, usually an insect, that
transmits an infection from one human host to another.
• Mechanical vector-This is a vector which assists in
the transfer of parasitic forms between hosts but is not
essential in the life cycle of the parasite.e.g. a housefly
• Biological vector:-
-act as transportation and host as well and the parasite
can develop and multiply inside it eg .Sand fly
Relationships between organisms
1- Symbiosis- It is an association in which both are so dependent
upon each other that one cannot live without the help of the other
. None of the partner suffers any harm from the association.
2-Mutualism: two organisms living together, the two organisms
benefit.
3-Commensalism: Two organisms Living together, one is benefited and
the other is not been affected. A commensal is capable of leading an
independent life.
• When the other organism become affected, then the relationship
turns = Parasitism.
4-Zoonosis: disease of animals but can be transmitted to a man.
Classification of parasites
Sources of infection
Exposure: (how parasite approaches the host)
◦ Natural:
◦ Contamination through food or drink
◦ Insect vector borne
◦ Penetration usually thro skin
◦ Congenital from mother to baby
◦ Inhalation
o Cexually
o Autoinfection
◦ Artificial
◦ Blood transfusion.
◦ Organ transplantation.
◦ Injection
-Portal of entry into the body
1- Mouth
2- Skin
3- Sexual contact
4- Congenital-Infection
The types of life cycle of parasites
1-Simple or Direct Life Cycle:-
is one in which there is only one host where
the parasite often spends most of its life.
2- Indirect type:
Many parasites have more complex cycles
which include 2 or more hosts.
.Contd
• On the basis of their life cycles human parasites
can be divided into three major groups-
• Pathogenicity -A parasite may live without
causing evident harm.
In majority of cases the parasite has the capacity
to produce damage.
.Contd
1-Traumatic damage-•
Physical damage is produced by entry of
parasite larvae into the skin.eg Sercaria of
schistosoma
2-Lytic necrosis-
E.histolytica secretes lytic enzyme which lyses
tissues for its nutritional needs.
Obligate intracellular parasites e.g. Plasmodium
,Trypanosoma cruzi cause necrosis of
parasitized host cells during their growth and
multiplication.
Contd
Competition for specific nutrients- eg D.latum
competes with the host for vitamin B12
leading to parasite induced pernicious
anaemia.
3- Allergic manifestations
Immunity in parasitic infections
• Parasite also trigger both humeral as well as
cellular responses.
• But immunological protection against parasitic
infections is much less efficient than it is against
bacterial and viral infections.
i- Parasites are large and more complex structurally
and antigenically so that immune system may not
be able to multiple response against the protective
antigens.
.Contd
Ii- Many protozoa parasites are intracellular. This
protects them from immunological attack.
Iii- Many parasites, both protozoa and helminths,
live inside the intestines. This location limits the
efficiency of immunological attack.
Iv-Trypanosomes Spp display antigenic variations
within the host.
.Contd
V- Many nematodes have a cuticle which is
antigenically inert and evokes little immune
response.
Vi- L.donovani causes extensive damage to the
reticuloendothelial system thus leading to
immunological tolerance.
Laboratory diagnosis
• Laboratory diagnosis of parasitic infections can be carried out by
(A) Clinical Examination
(B) Laboratory Examination of parasite using .
•1- Examination of stool
• It is the gold standard in the diagnosis of intestinal parasitic
infections.
2-Blood-In those parasitic infections
• Concentration methods for blood and Stool
3-Perianal and perineal skin scrapings
4- Urine
.Contd
5-Genital specimens- may be demonstrated parasite in the
vaginal and urethral discharge and in the prostatic
secretions.
6-Cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF)
7-Sputum
8-Tissue biopsy and aspiration
9-Immunodiagnosis
10-Molecular biological methods
11-Culture
12-Animal inoculation
:General Concepts of Protozoa
• Generally unicellular
• Eukaryotic organisms
• Found in every possible moist habitat
• Approximately 60,000 living species
• Smallest could only be seen with an EM
• Completing all necessary life activities
independently
Medical Protozoa
• The protozoa habit in lumens, body fluid,
tissues or cells and, according to the
pathogenicity, can be categorized into:
• Pathogenic;
• Non-pathogenic (commensals);
Structure
• All protozoa cells possess a variety of
eukaryotic structures/organelles common to
all eukaryotic cells, including cell
membrane, nuclei, endoplasmic reticulum,
mitochondria, Golgi bodies, lysosomes,
centrioles, and food vacuoles.
• Motile organelle
Nutrition
• Each cell is a self-sufficient unit capable of
carrying out all of the metabolic functions
• All parasitic protozoa require preformed
organic substances as holozoic as higher
animals.
Life Cycle Stages
– Trophozoite: Actively growing and
reproducing stage
– Cyst: A dormant stage, enclosed in a cyst
coat resistant to an unfavourable
environment-medical importance of
infection
Reproduction
• Binary fission, the most common form of
reproduction among medical protozoa, is asexual;
• Multiple asexual division occurs in some forms;
• Sexual reproduction: takes place within the
definitive host.
• Both sexual and asexual occur in the Apicomplexa.
Classified under three phyla
:Phylum Class :Genera
Sarcomasti- Zoomastigop- Trypanosoma, Leishmania,
gophora hora Giardia, Trichomonas
Entamoeba, Naegleria,
.Sarcodina
Lobosea
Acanthamoeba
Apicompl- Plasmodium, Toxoplasma,
Sporozoea Cryptosporidium, Isospora
exa
Kinetofragm-
Ciliophora Balantidium
inophorea
