INTRODUCTION

PARASITOLOGY

TO

MEDICAL

PARASITOLOGY

PARASITISM

Area of biology concerned with

the phenomenon of dependence
of one living organism

MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY
Concerned primarily with the
animal parasites of humans and
their medical significance

TROPICAL PARASITOLOGY

ENDOPARASITE
Parasite living inside the body of
a host

INFECTION

Branch of medicine w/c deals

with tropical diseases and other
special medical problem of
tropical regions

Presence of and Endoparasite in

a host

ECTOPARASITE
Parasite living outside the body
of a host

BIOLOGICAL
RELATIONSHIPS

INFESTATION
Presence of an ectoparasite on
a host

SYMBIOSIS
Living
together
organisms

One organism, the parasite,

lives in or on another depending
on the latter for its survival
o Eg. Entamoeba histolytica

of

unlike

COMMENSALISM
Two species live together and
one species befits from the
relationship without harming or
benefiting the other
o Eg. Entamoeba coli

MUTUALISM
Two organisms mutually benefit
from each other
o Eg. Hookworm

ERRATIC
When a parasite is found in an
organ which is not its usual
habitat

OBLIGATE PARASITE
They need a host at some stage
of their life cycle to complete
their development
o Eg. Tapeworm

FACULTATIVE PARASITE
Free-living state or may become
parasitic when the need arises

ACCIDENTAL
PARASITE

OR

INCIDENTAL

A parasite establishes itself in a

host where it does not ordinarily
live

Eg.
Paragonimus
metacercariae

RESERVOIR HOST
Animals that harbor the parasite
other
than
definitive,
intermediate, and paratenic
hosts.

PERMANENT PARASITE
Remains on or in the body of
the host for its entire life

TEMPORARY PARASITE

Lives on the host only for a

short period of time

Responsible for transmitting the

parasite from one host to
another

BIOLOGICAL VECTOR

SPURIOUS PARASITE
Free-living
organisms
that
passes through the digestive
tract without infecting the host

Transmits the parasite only after

the latter has completed its
development within the host
o Eg. Aedes mosquito

MECHANICAL
VECTOR

HOST
DEFINITIVE OR FINAL

OR

PHORETIC

Only transports the parasite

Parasite attains sexual maturity

o Eg. Humans

INTERMEDIATE HOST
Harbors the asexual or larval
stage to parasite
o Eg. Pigs, cattle

PARATENIC HOST
Parasite does not
further to later stages
Able
to
infect
susceptible host

VECTORS

develop
another

EXPOSURE AND INFECTION

PATHOGENS
Harmful and can frequently
cause mechanical injury to their
host

CARRIER
Harbors a particular pathogen
w/o manifesting any signs and
symptoms.

EXPOSURE

Process
of
inoculating
infective agent

an

INFECTION
Connotes the establishment of
the infective agent in the host

Congenital transmission
o

INCUBATION PERIOD
Period between infection and
evidence of symptoms.
o Clinical Incubation period

Can cross the placental

barrier during pregnancy
Toxoplasma gondii

Transmammary infection
o

PRE-PATENT PERIOD
Period between infection or
acquisition of the parasite
o Biologic Incubation Period

Serve as vectors and

transmit
parasites
through their bites
Agents of malaria
Filariasis
Leishmaniasis
Trypanosomiasis

Parasites
may
be
transmitted through the
mothers mik.
Ancylostoma
Strongyloides

Inhalation of airborne eggs

o

Enterobius

Sexual intercourse
o

Trichomonas vaginalis

AUTOINFECTION
Results
when
an
infected
individual becomes his own
direct source of infection

SUPERINFECTION
HYPERINFECTION

OR

Happens when the already

infected individual is further
infected with the same species
leading to massive infection
with the parasite

MODE OF TRANSMISSION
Skin penetration
o
o

Hookworm
Strongyloides

Arthropods

EPIDEMIOLOGIC MEASURES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Study of patterns, distribution
and occurrence of disease

INCIDENCE
Number of new cases of
infection
appearing
in
a
population in a given period of
time

PREVALENCE
Number of individuals in a
population estimated to e
infected with
a particular
parasite

CUMULATIVE PREVALENCE
Percentage of individuals in a
population with atleast one
parasite

UNIVERSAL TREATMENT

INTENSITY OF INFECTION
Number of worms per infected
person
o WORM BURDEN

MORBIDITY
Clinical
consequences
infections or diseases
affect and individuals
being

Group-level deworming where

the (risk) group to be treated
may be defined by age, sex or
other social characteristics

of
that
well

Population-level deworming

COVERAGE
Refers to the proportion of the
target population reached by an
intervention

DRUG RESISTANCE
Genetically transmitted loss of
susceptibility to a drug in a
worm population

TREATMENT
EFFICACY

DEWORMING
Use of anthelminthics drugs in
and individual

CURE RATE
Refers to the number of
previously
positive
subjects
found to be egg negative on
examination of stool or urine

EGG REDUCTION RATE

Percentage fall in egg counts
after deworming

SELECTIVE TREATMENT
Involves
deworming
treatment

Individual-level
with selection of

TARGETED TREATMENT

Is the effect of a drug against

and infective agent in ideal
experimental conditions and
isolated from any context.

EFFECTIVENESS
Measure of the effect of a drug
against and infective agent in a
particular host
PREVENTION AND CONTROL

MORBIDITY CONTROL
Avoidance of illness caused by
infections

INFORMATION-EDUCATIONCOMMUNICATION (IEC)
Health education stategy that
aims to encourage people to

adapt and maintain healthy life

practices.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENTS
manipulation of environmental
factors or their interaction with
human beings

ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION
safe disposal and hygienic
management of human and
animal excreta, refuse and
water waste.

SANITATION
provision of access to adequate
facilities for the safe disposal of
human excretal

ERADICATION VS ELIMINATION
ERADICATION
permanent reduction to zero of
the worldwide incidence of
infection

ELIMINATION
reduction to zero of the
incidence of a specified disease
in a defined geographic area as
a result of deliberate efforts