Medical Parasitology

Chapter 1
Lesson 1
BY Dr.Dalia,
ILOs:
▪ Define different parasitological terms concerning parasitic infections.
▪ Identify classification, mode and route of transmission of different parasitic infection.

Medical parasitology is the science that deals with organisms (the parasites)
living in or on the human body (the host) causing human infections and diseases.

The parasite is an organism that lives at the expense of another (host).

The host is an organism which supports & gets harm from the parasite.

Host-parasite Relationships:
Symbiosis is a relationship between two or more organisms that live closely together.
There are three different types of symbiotic relationships:
1- Mutualism:
Both partners benefit from the relationship. It is usually obligatory.
2- Commensalism:
One partner is benefited (commensal), while the other (host) is unaffected. It
may be facultative or obligatory.
3- Parasitism:
A relationship in which one of the organisms (the parasite) lives at the
expense of and harms the other (host).

Types of parasites:
➢ Ectoparasite: A parasites that inhabits only the body surface of the host without
penetrating the tissue, e.g. lice, ticks, mites etc. The term infestation is often employed
for parasitization with ectoparasites. €
➢ Endoparasite: A parasite, which lives within the body of the host and is said to cause
an infection. Endoparasites can further be classified as: €
• Obligate parasite: a parasite that is completely dependent on the host during a
stage or all stages of its life cycle, e.g. Plasmodium spp.
• Facultative parasite: Organism which may either live as parasitic form or as free
living form e.g. Naegleria fowleri
• Accidental parasites: Parasite which infect an unnatural host e.g.
Hymenolepis diminuta (rat tapeworm).
 • Opportunistic parasite: A parasite which produces disease in immunodeficient
patients only.
• Coprozoic or spurious parasite: It is a foreign species that has passed through the
alimentary tract without infecting the host.
• Erratic parasite: a parasite that wanders into an organ in which it is not usually
found e.g. Entamoeba histolytica in the liver or lung of humans.

Types of hosts:
• Final or definitive host: harbors the adult or where the parasite undergoes a
sexual reproduction.
• Intermediate host: harbors the immature or asexual stages of the parasite or where
an asexual cycle of reproduction takes place..
• Vector: an arthropod that transmit a parasite to another host.
• Natural host: a host that is naturally infected with certain species of parasite.
• Accidental host: a host that is under normal circumstances not infected with the
parasite.
• Reservoir host: the animal that harbors the same species of the parasite as man
and constitutes a source of infection to him.

Zoonosis: are diseases caused by parasites and other organisms from the animal
reservoir host to man.

Sources of parasitic infection:

1- Food and water:
a. Raw vegetables e.g. : Ascaris
b. Meat e.g. : Taenia
c. Fish e.g.: H. heteraphys.
d. Water e.g.: cysts of protozoa and eggs of helminthes are transmitted to the host
[when the water is polluted with infected excreta].
2- Soil: when contaminated with animal or human excreta [e.g. hookworms larva]
3- Animal reservoir host: Zoonotic diseases.
4- Arthropods: e.g. Malaria and Filaria.
5- Air-borne: e.g. Pnemocystis carnii.

Mode of infection:
1- Oral route: consumption of contaminated food or drink or soiled fingers: e.g.
Ascaris and Oxyuris.
2- Skin penetration: either by the infective stage of the parasite [hookworms] or by
arthropods e.g. Filaria and Malaria
 3- Contact: direct contact of the human skin with infected person e.g. scabies or
contaminated materials e.g. Trichomonas vaginalis
4- Sexual: e.g. Trichomonas vaginalis.
5- Congenital: transplacental e.g. Toxoplasma.
6- Inhalation: e.g. Oxyuris.
7- Accidental: laboratory infection by contaminated materials.
8- Autoinfection: e.g. Hymenolepis nana.
9- Blood transfusion: e.g. Malaria.

Classification of medically important parasites

PROTOZOA METAZOA (HELIMINTHS)

Sarcodina (Amoebae): Platyhelminthes:

(a) Genus, Entameba: E.g. Entameba Trematodea:
histolytica (a) Genus Schistosoma E.g. S.
(b) Genus Endolimax: E.g. mansoni
Endolimax nana (b) Genus Fasciola E.g. F. hepatica
(c) Genus Iodameba: E.g. Iodameba Cestoda:
butchlii (a)Genus Diphylobotrium: E.g. D.
(d) Genus Dientmeba: E.g. latum
Dientameba fragilis (b) Genus Taenia: E.g. T. saginata
Mastigophora (Flagellates): (c) Genus Echinococcus: E.g. E.
(a) Genus Giardia: E.g. G. lamblia granulosus
(b) Genus Trichomonas: E.g. T. (d) Genus Hymenolepsis: E.g. H.
vaginalis nana
(c) Genus Trypanosoma: E.g. T. Nemathelminthes:
brucci (a) Intestinal Nematodes: E.g. A.
(d) Genus Leishmania: E.g. L. lumbricoides
donovani (b) Tissue Nematodes: E.g. W.
Sporozoa bancrofti
(1) Genus Plasmodium: E.g. P.
falciparum
(2) Genus Toxoplasma: E.g. T. gondi
(3) Genus Cryptosporidum: E.g. C.
parvum
(4) Genus Isospora E.g. I. beli
Ciliates
E.g. Balantidium coli
(A) Protozoa
Protozoan parasites consist of a single "cell-like unit" which is morphologically and
functionally complete and can perform all functions of life. They are made up of a mass
of protoplasm differentiated into cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. The cytoplasm consists of
an outer layer of hyaline ectoplasm and an inner voluminous granular endoplasm. The
ectoplasm functions in protection, locomotion, and ingestion of food, excretion, and
respiration. In the cytoplasm there are different vacuoles responsible for storage of food,
digestion and excretion of waste products. The nucleus also functions in reproduction and
maintaining life.
The protozoal parasite possesses the property of being transformed from an active
(trophozoite) to an inactive stage, losing its power of motility and enclosing itself within
a tough wall. The protoplasmic body thus formed is known as a cyst. At this stage the
parasite loses its power to grow and multiply. The cyst is the resistant stage of the
parasite and is also infective to the human host.

(B) Helminthes:
The heliminthic parasites are multicellular, bilaterally symmetrical animals having three
germ layers. The helminthes of importance to human beings are divided into three main
groups’ Cestodes, Trematodes and Nematodes.
(3) Arthropods
Arthropods, which form the largest group of species in the animal kingdom, are
characterized by having a bilaterally symmetrical and segmented body with jointed
appendages. They have a hard exoskeleton, which helps enclose and protect the muscles
and other organs.
Arthropods affect the health of humans by being either direct agents for disease or agents
for disease transmission.
The arthropods of medical importance are found in Classes Insecta, Arachnida, and
Crustacia