Entamoeba histolytica 1) Major disease pathology: bloody dysentery 2) Specimen in which organism is found: stool/feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism

& its distinguishing characteristics: trophozoite or cyst (ameba); Engulfs red blood cells, small central karyosome, evenly distributed peripheral chromatin; troph = 10-60 m, cyst = 10-20 m; troph has 1 nucleus, cyst up to 4; rounded blunt end chromatoid bodies in cyst; troph has progressive motility 4) Infective stage: cyst 5) Vector: contaminated food/water 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: Intestinal amebiasis

Entamoeba hartmanni 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 5-12 m, finely granular cytoplasm, evenly distributed peripheral chromatin, small central karyosome, non-progressive motility; cyst is 5-10m, up to 4 nuclei, elongated chromatoid body with blunt smooth ends, central compact karyosome 4) Infective stage: non-pathogenic 5) Vector: contaminated food/water or anal sex 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: non-pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: none

Entamoeba coli 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 1550m, coarsely granular cytoplasm due to inclusions of bacteria yeast debris, unevenly distributed peripheral chromatin, large discrete eccentric karyosome, sluggish non-progressive motility; cyst is 10-35m, mature one has 8 nuclei and up to 16, splinter-shaped chromatoid bodes with sharp pointed ends, large eccentric karyosome 4) Infective stage: non-pathogenic 5) Vector: contaminated food/water or anal sex 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: commensal 7) Common Disease Name: none

Endolimax nana 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 6-12m, granular cytoplasm, no peripheral chromatin, large blot-like karyosome, bacterial inclusions, sluggish, non-progressive motility; cyst is 5-10m, up to 4 nuceli, no peripheral chromatin, large central karyosome, no visible chromatoid bodies 4) Infective stage: non-pathogenic 5) Vector: contaminated food/water or anal sex 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: non-pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: none

Iodamoeba butschlii 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 8-20m, granular vacuolated cytoplasm, no peripheral chromatin, large karyosome, bacteria and yeast inclusions, sluggish non-progressive motility; cyst stains with iodine, is 5-10m, mature cyst has only 1 nucleus, no peripheral chromatin, large karyosome with granules on one side, no visible chromatoid bodies, prominent glycogen vacuole 4) Infective stage: non-pathogenic 5) Vector: contaminated food/water or anal sex 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: non-pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: none

Naegleria fowleri 1) Major disease pathology: Central Nervous System pathogen, more common, rapid 2) Specimen in which organism is found: as amoebic troph in CNS tissue section or cerebral spinal fluid 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: rapidly progressive fatal CNS infection, incubation period is 3-7 days with headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, nuchal rigidity, confusion, coma, then death 3-6 days after symptoms onset; diagnostic criteria is to convert troph form in human to diflagellate by transfer to water and incubate at 37 degrees Celsius; exists in 3 forms 4) Infective stage: throphozite 5) Vector: forced contaminated water into nasal cavity 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: free-living protozoan pathogen 7) Common Disease Name: Primary Amoebic MeningoEncephalitis

Acanthamoeba sp. 1) Major disease pathology: Chronic CNS pathogen 2) Specimen in which organism is found: brain tissue sections, CSF, or corneal scrapings in both troph and cyst form 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph or cyst form, troph form has acanthopodia, large karyosome, no peripheral chromatin 4) Infective stage: troph or cyst 5) Vector: abrasion or cornea or nasal passage with contaminated object 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: free-living protozoan pathogen 7) Common Disease Name: Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis; sometimes amebic keratitis (skin ulcers contact lens) Giardia lamblia 1) Major disease pathology: intestinal infection 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: trop is 9-20m by 5-15m, pear shaped (NOT round), 2 nuclei on top of sucking disc, linear axonemes, 2 curved median bodies, 8 flagella, falling leaf motility; cyst is 8-18m by 7-10m, oval shaped, 4 nuclei, axonemes and median bodies present 4) Infective stage: cyst 5) Vector: contaminated food/drink or oral-anal sex 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: pathogen 7) Common Disease Name: Giardiasis

Chilomastix mesnili 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 5-24m by 5-8m, teardrop shaped, prominent cytostome, 1 nucleus, 4 anterior flagella, stiff rotary motility, no median bodies; cyst is 5-10m by 4-6m, lemon shaped with anterior hyaline knob, 1 nucleus 4) Infective stage: non-infective 5) Vector: ingestion of cyst via fecal-oral route 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: non-pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: none Trichomonas homins 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic in GI tract 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: Has an undulating membrane connected to the main body with a costa, troph is small: 718m by 5-8m, stains poorly 4) Infective stage: non-infective, NO cyst 5) Vector: tropics 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: non-pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: none

Dientamoeba fragilis 1) Major disease pathology: controversial; GI tract infection in some 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: no visible flagella and pseudopods present, troph is 5-16m round, amoeba shape, 1 or 2 nucelie with large prominent karyosomes, debris in granular cytoplasm, active motility 4) Infective stage: troph 5) Vector: Via eggs of Enterobius vermicularis and Ascaris lumbricoides 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: pathogenic in some/controversial 7) Common Disease Name: none Trichomonas vaginalis 1) Major disease pathology: STD of the vagina, urethritis in men 2) Specimen in which organism is found: smears of vaginal or urethral fluid or in urine sediment 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 8-23m by 5-12m, pear shaped, 1 nucleus, 4-6 flagella, prominent axostyle, undulating membrane that extends way down the length of the troph, rapid jerky movement, NO cyst 4) Infective stage: troph 5) Vector: STD 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: Trichomoniasis

Trichomonas tenax 1) Major disease pathology: non-pathogenic 2) Specimen in which organism is found: tartar in the mouth 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: small slender troph with undulating membrane that extends nearly the length of the troph 4) Infective stage: non-pathogenic 5) Vector: tartar in the mouth 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: commensal 7) Common Disease Name: poor oral hygiene Balantidium coli 1) Major disease pathology: GI tract, dysentery, extra-intestinal infections of lung/liver 2) Specimen in which organism is found: feces 3) Diagnostic form of organism & its distinguishing characteristics: troph is 30100m by 30-80m, very large ovoid shape, kidney bean shaped macronucleus with adjacent micronucleus, numerous cilia covering membrane, cytostome and ctyopyge present; cyst is 45-65m, round shape, large kidney bean shaped macronucleus, double layered cyst wall with barely visible cilia between them 4) Infective stage: cyst 5) Vector: ingesting cyst through fecal-oral route 6) Pathogenic/nonpathogenic/commensal: pathogenic 7) Common Disease Name: Balantidiasis