Angeles University Foundation Prelims

PARASITOLOGY

Intoduction to Parasitology 

• Gum or oral cavity: Entamoeba gingivalis,
Parasitology Trichomonas tenax (oral flagellate)

• Study of parasites

Mutualism
• Parasites: organisms that depend on others in
• Much intimate relationship than phoresis

order to live; eventually cause harm to their host

• Occurs when each member of the association

• Multicellular Organisms:
• Wo r m s : N e m a t o d e s ( r o u n d w o r m s ) , benefits than the other

• Mutuals are metabolically dependent on one

Trematodes (flukes), Cestodes (tapeworms)

another, one cannot survive in the absence of the

• Insects: nourishment depends on other
organism
other .

• Often included as special subcategory of

• Protozoans: Amoeba, flagellates, ciliates,
mutualism is cleaning symbiosis
sporozoans

• Eg: Honeybee bringing pollen to a dessert , shrub

Types of Relationship Among termites and flagellates in their intestine.

Organisms Parasitism
• parasitos (para: beside, sitos: grain or food)

Symbiosis • Cause harm to its host

• “living together” (German de Bary in 1879)

• Host - specific and tissue tropism (Site Specific)
• Heterogenic Associations: Two non-similar • Parasites depend on the host for:

organisms live together

• Physico- chemical environment

Types of Symbiotic Relationship • Food and nutritive needs

• Respiration

Phoresis
• Other metabolic supplies

• travelling together but do not have intimate

• For signals to regulate their developmental
relationship

stages

• No close associations

• eg: ( anterior end of a hookworm)

• Phorons: participating organisms in phoresis

• Eg: Parasites at the feet of the insects

Types of Hosts

Commensalism Definitive host

• means “eating at the same table”
• mature / adult stage
• Two species live together and one species benefits • Host in which the parasite reaches sexual maturity
from the relationship without harming or benefiting and undergoes reproduction, the definitive host is
the other
usually a vertebrate.

• both can exist independently

Man= D.H. (Adult) (except malaria and protozoans)

• Commensals: depends on the other but the other
member is neither benefitted or harm in the
Intermediate Host
association

• larval / developmental stage

• Occurs when one member of the associating pair,

• Typically this host must be eaten to transmit the
usually the smaller, receives all the benefit and
parasite to the next host
other member is neither benefitted nor harmed

• Eg: branchiobdellida attached to crayfish

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• Host in which the parasite undergoes larval • Eg: Eating utensil shared by 2 people, Flies
development but does not reach sexual maturity.
(transfer parasites)

• eg: a larval parasite occurs in a fish that is eaten

Carrier / Transport Host
raw by a human

• Harbours the organisms, infect others but does not

Reservoir Host exhibit the signs and symptoms of the disease.

• Adult / Mature • Carrier (internal) vs Mechanical (External)

• non human definitive host which maintains the • Carrier (not developmental) vs Biological
parasite for human parasite infection
(developmental)

• Eg. Balantidium coli (pigs)

Paratenic Host
Refractory Host • Host in which there is no parasite development but
• Host not readily infected
the parasite continues to live and is infective to the
• Not immunocompromised patients
next hosts.

• It bridges an ecological gap in life cycle

Susceptible Host
• Necessary to transfer stage of parasite from one
• Host readily infected

stage to the next.

• Immunocompromised patients

• Eg.

Dead-end Host Larval Parasite Adult Parasite

“Little Chance”
• Lifecycle ceases in that particular host

in Insect in Owl
• Usually applicable to Trichinella ( Trichinellosis)

• Trichinella – animal parasite (pigs and horses)

Larval Parasite Shrew Adult Parasite
in Insect Paratenic Host in Owl
Trichinella is a parasite found in the pig where in it can

infect human by ingesting uncooked infected pig which Do development happens:

lead to trichinosis • Mechanical

• Carrier

Accidental/ Incidental host • Paratenic

• Usually humans, host of incidental parasites

Types of Parasitic Disease

• When they are present in a place where they
should not be
Infection
• Eg. Human harbour Trichinella, zoonotic parasites
• Presence of endoparasite

• Endoparasite: parasite lives inside the body of

Free living: opposite of parasitic
its host

Biologic Host/Vectors Infestation

• A host , usually an arthropod, in which the parasite • Presence of ectoparasite

undergoes a significant change and is actively
transmitted to the next hosts usually through a
bite, needed for the development.
Parasitosis
• Eg: a mosquito picks up a malaria from a bite,
parasite undergoes reproduction and is transmitted
• Ectoparasite: parasite lives on the surface of its
host
• The state of infection or infestation with an animal
parasite.

in a new bite of human host

Superinfection
Mechanical Host / Fomites • when an individual harbouring a parasite is re-
• An inanimate object that may be contaminated by infected with the same species of parasite

a parasite and serve as a means of transmission to

the next hosts.
Mixed-Infection: individual infected with varieties of
parasites

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Angeles University Foundation Prelims

Auto-infection
• the infected person is his own direct source of re-
Enzootic
exposure , own self (source)

• A parasite is present in the non-human population

• Eg: Capillaria, Enterobius, Strongyloides
at a stable rate of prevalence in a certain
Pruritus - Peri anal itchiness; happened during night time geographical area

Panzootic
Zoonosis
• Wide dissemination

• parasitic disease that occurs in a non-human

animals that is transmissible to humans
Types/Functions of Parasites
Classification of Zoonosis
Habitat
Euzoonosis: • Endoparasite (infections)

• parasitosis common to man and reservoir host

• Ectoparasite (infestations)

Parazoonosis: Effect to the host:

• man is an infrequent host
• pathogenic

Anthrozoonosis:
• non pathogenic/ commensals

• for infections acquired by man from other

vertebrates
Mode of Development
• Obligate Parasite: cannot survive without host
Zooanthroponosis: • Facultative Parasite: either parasitic or free-living

• parasitic disease that is primarily of human origin • Accidental / Incidental Parasite

that may be acquired by other vertebrates.
• Permanent Parasite: entire life is in the host

• Te m p o r a r y P a r a s i t e ( M i c r o p r e d a t o r s ) :
Endemic parasitoids: needs host in its larval development
• A parasite is present in the human population at a
and leave host when in its mature form
stable rate of prevalence in a certain geographical
• Intermittent Parasites: visits the host during
area

feeding time
• Spurious Parasite / Coprozoic Parasite:
Epidemic
• A parasite is present in the human population at an protelean parasites
unusually high rate of prevalence in a certain
geographical area
Exposure vs Infection
Pandemic Exposure
• act or process of incubation

• Communicable diseases that have been

• Without manifestations

disseminated over extensive areas of the world

• Eg: Plague, Influenza, Cholera

Infection
• connotes a “ take”; parasite was able to
Epizootiology established its presence in host

• Knowledge of the frequency of diseases in animal

• Have signs and symptoms

communities

Incubation Period
Epizootic • Clinical incubation period

• A parasite in the non-human population at an

unusually high rate of prevalence in a certain Prepatent period
geographical area
• Biological incubation period

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Transmission of parasites
• Source of Infection
• Contaminated Food and Water

• Lack of sanitary toilet

• Use of night soil

• Food which contain the infective stage of the

parasite

• Undercooked meat or pork as in the case of

most tapeworm

• Arthropod vector

• Other animas

• Other sources (One’s self, Sexual intimacy,

transplacental)

• Mode of Transimission
• Presence of Susceptible host

Factors Affecting Parasitic

Infection
• strain of parasite

• number of parasite

• size of parasite

• site/s occupied by the parasite (tissue tropism)

• metabolic processes of the parasite by which it

can damage the host

Host Factor
• age and level of natural immunity at the time of
infection

• immune response to the infection

• presence of co-existing disease

• nutritional status of the host

• lifestyle & wok of person exposed/infected

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