KNOWLEDGE OF PARASITES

IN RELATION TO
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Dr.Dhruva Prasad
II MD Scholar
Department of PG Studies in Swasthavritta
JSS Ayurveda Medical college
 INTRODUCTION
• Parasitic animals may be defined as those animals which live within or upon other
living organisms called hosts, for purpose of deriving their nourishment from them
• Some parasites nourish themselves on the living material, eg, the blood or the lymph
of the host, Saprophytic parasites derive their nourishment from dead materials.
• They are broadly of two types
• Ectozoa- Lice, fleas, Bed bugs
• Entozoa- Round worm, Tape worm etc.
 DEFINITION
• An organism which lives in or on other organisms (its host) and benefits
by deriving nutrients at the others expense. – oxford dictionary

• An organism that lives in or on other organisms- Merriam Webster

• A parasite is a living organism which takes its nourishment and other

needs from a host.
• A host is an organism which supports the parasite
 ORIGIN
• 16th Century - Greek
• Parasites- eating at another table
• Para – Alongside
• Sitos – food

• Parasitic disease
• A Parasitic disease is also known as parasitosis, is an infectious disease
caused or transmitted by a parasite. Parasitic disease can affect practically
all living organisms including plants and mammals.
• The study of parasitic diseases is called parasitology.
 COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
• An infectious disease transmissible (from person to person) by
direct contact with an affected individual or the individual’s
discharges or by in direct means (as by a vector)
 CLASSIFICATION
Ectoparasites Endoparasites

Lice Protozoa
Ticks Helminth
Mite Arthropods
 PROTOZOA
Amoeba

Ciliates

Pseudopodia

Coccidia

Flagellates
 HELMINTH

Trematodes/ Cestodes/ Nematodes/

Flukes Tapeworms Round worms
 OBLIGATIVE PARASITES
• This parasite is completely dependant on the host during a segment or all
of its life cycle eg- plasmodium sp.
 FACULTATIVE PARASITES
• An organism that exhibits parasitic and non parasitic modes of living and
hence does not depend on parasitic way of life but is capable of adapting
to it if placed in a host. Eg – Naegleria fowleri
 ACCIDENTAL PARASITES
• When a parasite attacks an unnatural host and survives.
• Eg Hymenolepsis diminuta (Rat Tapeworm)
 ERRATIC PARASITE
• It is the one that wanders into an organ in which it is not usually found.
• Eg Entamoeba histolitica in liver or lung of humans
 HOSTS
• Definitive Hosts
• Intermediate hosts
• Paramedic host
• Natural host
• Accidental host
• Mutualism
• Commensalism
• Parasitism
 DEFINITIVE HOSTS
• A host that harbours a parasite in the adult stage or where the parasite
undergoes a sexual method of reproduction. Eg Human Tapeworm
 INTERMEDIATE HOSTS
• It harbours the larval stage of the parasite or an asexual cycle of
development takes place.
• Eg Tapeworm in pig as cyst
 PARATENIC HOST
• Temporary host
• It acts as an vehicle for reaching the obligatory host.
• A paratenic host may serve to maintain the life cycle of that parasite. A
Parasite in a paratenic host does not undergo any changes into the
following stages of its development. Eg Toxocara cati in dogs and cats.
 RESERVOIR HOST
• A host that makes the parasite for the transmission to another host and is
usually not affected by the infection.
• Eg rats as reservoir host for bubonic plague.
 NATURAL HOST
• A host that is naturally infected with certain species of parasite.
• Eg pigs for cestode worm.
• snails for schistosomiasis.
 ACCIDENTAL HOST
• The host which under normal circumstances is not infected by the parasite.
• Eg Fish parasite in humans
 MUTUALISM
• Eg Termites and Flagellated protozoa
• Termites provide carbohydrates whereas the flagellated protozoa
provides cellulose.
 COMMENSALISM
• Commensalism is a type of relationship where one of the organisms benefit
greatly from the symbiosis. The other is not helped or harmed from this one
sided symbiosis eg
 PARASITISM
• In this type of association in which the host becomes the victim for the
growth and development of the parasite. The host is harmed in this
association A.lumbricoides in man .
 EFFECT OF PARASITES ON THE HOST
• Direct effects • Indirect effects
• Tissue damage by immune response
Mechanical injury • Post plasmodium infections
Deleterious effect of toxic substances • Fibrosis of liver after deposition of
Deprivation of Nutrients, Fluid and Schistosoma.
metabolites.
 LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS
• Blood
• Stool
• Urine
• Sputum
• Biopsy material
• Urethral or vaginal discharge
• Cytological changes in blood
• Serological tests.
 PREVENTION
• Breaking the transmission cycle are crucial to successful parasite eradication.
• Sanitary control of drinking water and food
• Proper waste disposal, establish safe sewage system
• Use of insecticides and chemicals for control of vector population
• Protective clothing
• Good personal hygiene
 TREATMENT
• Chemotherapy
• Albendazole
• Piperazine
 CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICAL
PARASITOLOGY
• Medical protozoology
• It deals with the study of medically important protozoa.

• Medical Helminthology
• Deals with the study of Helminthes

• Medical entomology
• Deals with arthropods which cause disease to man.
 PROTOZOA
• Sing ( Protozoan)
• It is derived from Greek word
• Protos – first
• Zoos – animal
• Major character is the absence of cell wall.
 OCCURRENCE
• Moist places
• Common in Sea, Soil, Water

Morphology
Microscopic single cell
2- 100
Morphologically and functionally complete and can perform all functions of
life. It is a mass of protoplasm differentiated into cytoplasm and nucleoplasm.
• Covered by hyaline ectoplasm and inside it consists of endoplasm.
• Central Nucleus- Reproduction
• Hyaline ectoplasm helps in Protection, locomotion and ingestion of food
• In certain unfavourable conditions the protozoa can convert itself into
trophozoite, an inactive cyst that is highly resistant and infective.
 REPRODUCTION

Asexual multiplication Multiple fission

Simple binary fission Multiple fission Congugation Syngamy

 MEDICAL CONCERN OF
PROTOZOA
• Ubiquitous in moist areas including human alimentary canal.
• Amoeba – Entamoeba histolytica may invade tissue and produce disease
• Ciliates – free living and seldom parasitize humans
 CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICALLY
IMPORTANT PARASITES
• Sarcodina (Amoeba)- Entamoeba histolitica
• Mastigophora (Flagellates)- Giardia lamblia
• Sporozoa – T.vaginalis
• Genus Plasmodium – Wucheria Bancrofti
• P.falciparum
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Ciliates – Balantidium coli
 TRANSMISSION
• Faecal oral transmission of contaminated foods and water
• Insect bit inoculums or rubbing infected insect faeces on the site of bite.
• Sexual intercourse
 PATHOGENESIS
• Protozoan organisms are virtually always acquired from an exogenous
source and as such they have evolved numerous ways to enter the body of
the human host. Factors that are important for pathogenicity include
• Attachment to the host tissue followed by replication to establish
colonization
• Toxic products released by parasitic protozoa
• Shifting of antigenic expression to evade the immune response and
inactivate host defences.
 IMPORTANT PATHOGENIC PROTOZOA
AND COMMONLY CAUSED DISEASES
• INTESTINAL TRACT
• Entamoeba histolytica - Amebiasis
• Giardia lamblia - Giardiasis
• Cryptosporidium partum Cryptosporidiosis
• Balantidium coli - Balantiadiasis
• Isospora belie - Isosporiosis
• Cyclospora cayentanensis - Cyclosporiasis
URINARY TRACT
• Trichomonas vaginalis
BLOOD AND TISSUE
• Plasmodium sp. – Malaria
• Toxoplasma gondii – Toxoplasmosis
• Trypanasoma sp – Trypanosomiasis
• Leishnania sp –Leishmaniasis
• Acanthamoeba sp. – Amoebic meningoencephalitis
Naegleria fowleri – Amoebic meningoencephalitis
Babesia microti - Babesiosis
 HELMINTHES
• Helminthic parasites are multicellular bilaterally symmetrical animals having
three germ layers.
• Three major classification of helminthes are
• Cestode
• Trematode
• Nematode
Features Cestodes / Tape Trematode / Flukes Nematode / Round

Shape Tape like Segmented leaf like Unsegmented and

elongated

Sex Monoecious Monoecious Diecious

Head and suckers Present Present with hooks No Suckers and hooks

Body cavity Absent Absent Present

 CESTODES
• Diphylobotrium latum
• Tenia saginata
• Echinococcus sp.
• Hymenolepsis nana (dwarf tape worm)
• Hymenolepsis diminuta (Rat tapeworm)
 TREMATODES
Intestinal flukes - Fasciolopus buscii
liver flukes – Clornorchis sinensis
Fasciola hepatica
Fasciola gigantica
Lung flukes – Paragonimus westermani
 NEMATODES
• Intestinal nematodes with tissue stage
• A. lumbricoides
• Hook worm
Ancylostoma duodenal
Necator americanus

• Intestinal nematodes without tissue stage

• Enterobius vermicularis (Thread)
• Trichus trichuria (whip worm)
• Tissue and blood dwelling
• Filarial worm
• Dracunculus medinensis
• Trichinella
• Larva migrans
 ARTHROPODS
• Arthropods include animals varying considerably in size and shape but have
fundamental feature in common.
• They are bilaterally symmetrical
• Their body is divided into number of rings or segments
• They have jointed appendages which may take the form of legs, antennae
or mouthparts
• They have a hard chitinous exoskeleton which helps for the protection and
insertion of muscles
• They have a body cavity called haemocele which contains haemolymph
that bathes internal organs
 BIOLOGY OF ARTHROPODS
• Digestive system
• Respiratory system
• Nervous system
• Circulatory system
• Excretory system
• Reproductive system
 IMPORTANCE OF ARTHROPODS IN
PARASITOLOGY
• Arthropods affect the health of man by being
• DIRECT AGENTS FOR DISEASE/DISCOMFORT
• Annoyance
• Entomophobia
• Envenomization
• Allergic reactions
• Dermatosis
• Dermatitis
• Agents for disease transmission
• Arthropods can cause disease in two weeks
• Mechanical carriers
• Here they lodge the disease causative agent without altering its
development or multiplication eg housefly
• Biological carrier
• When arthropods become biological carriers for transmission of disease. It
means that certain stages in the life cycle of parasite takes place in the
body of the insect. Eg Anopheles mosquitoes
 BIOLOGICAL CARRIER IS ANY OF THE
FOLLOWING TYPES

• Propagative – where there is multiplication of parasite with no

developmental change. Eg yellow fever virus in Aedes mosquito
• Cyclopropagative – both multiplication and developmental change is going
on eg plasmodium sp in anopheles mosquito
• Cyclodevelopmental – there is developmental change of parasite but no
multiplication eg wucheria Bancrofti in culex mosquito
• Transovarian – where parasite passes to progeny arthropods through ova.
• Eg Ricketsia typhi in ticks.
• If we are clear about the importance of arthropods as a source of human
infection. It is important to accurately identify and classify them for crucial
treatment, prevention and control of arthropods.
 CLASSIFICATION
• There are three medically important classes of arthropods
• Class Insecta – mosquitos, flea, bugs, lice, flies
• Class arachnida - Consists of ticks, mites and scorpion
• Class Crustacea – Cyclops
 MEDICAL CONDITIONS RELATED
TO ARTHROPODS
• Fly related conditions
• Myiasis – invasion of tissues of humans and other vertebrate animals with
diphterous fly larva which for at least a period feed upon the living, necrotic
or dead tissue of animals. Houseflies can transmit a number of diseases to
humans owing to their habits of visiting almost indiscriminately faeces and
other unhygienic matter and people s food
• Pathogens can be transmitted by three possible ways
• By contaminated feet, body hairs and mouthparts of flies
• Flies frequently vomit on food during feeding this can lead to infection
• Defecation of flies through food.
• Eg sand flies transmit leishmaniasis, tsetse flies transmit trypanosomes
 MOSQUITO RELATED CONDITIONS
• Mosquitos cause a number of diseases in humans, the different type of
mosquito and the parasite they transmit are listed in the following table.
• Anopheles mosquito – Plasmodium sp.
• Culex mosquito Wucheria Bancroft
• Aedes mosquito – wucheria Bancroft, yellow fever virus
 FLEA RELATED CONDITIONS
• Fleas can be ectoparasites which may cause Allergic dermatitis are
intermediate hosts for certain bacteria like Yersinia pests and rickettsia typhi
• In America and Africa – Tunga penetrance 1mm, it can penetrate skin and
swell upto 1cm and cause extreme irritation . Surgical removal is required
 LICE RELATED CONDITIONS
• Lice are ectoparasites and can live in different parts of the body.
• Pediculus humanus cavities – head lice
• Pediculus humanus corporis – body lice
• Phitrius pubis – pubic lice or crab lice
• Certain diseases like relapsing fever and endemic typhus are commonly
caused in Ethiopia by lice
 BUG RELATED CONDITIONS
• Ectoparasites and a nuisance to humans
• Triastoma is disease vector of Trypanasoma Cruzi in Latin America.
 TICK RELATED CONDITION
• Tick paralysis – blocking release of acetyl choline at nm junctions
• Francella
• Rickettsial illness
 MITE RELATED CONDITIONS
• Mite called Sarcoptes scabies causes itchy, popular eruptions in the skin
termed scabies
• House dust mites produce allergens.
 VECTOR CONTROL MEASURES
• Mechanical methods – bed nets, mesh
• Ecological control
• Chemical methods eg DDT
• Biological methods- Use of certain fishes to control larvae
• Genetic control