PROTOZOA

THE PROTOZOA

 UNICELLULAR - EUCARYOTIC
MICROORGANISMS
 FOUND IN THE KINGDOM PROTISTA
 NO COMMON BASIC STRUCTURE,
SIZE OR SHAPE
 SIZE VARIES GREATLY - 2 TO 5,000
MICROMETERS
 DISTRIBUTION
 FREE LIVING FORMS
 PARASITIC FORMS (MANY ANIMALS CARRY
PROTOZOANS AS NORMAL FLORA)
 FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF FREE
LIVING FORMS
NaCl CONCENTRATION
pH

TEMPERATURE

OXYGEN REQUIREMENTS
 NUTRITION

 FREE LIVING FORMS - PHAGOCYTOSIS OF

PARTICULATE MATTER
 COMPLEX NUTRITIONAL NEEDS
 ALL ARE CHEMOHETEROTROPHS
 STORAGE PRODUCTS - GLYCOGEN, STARCH AND
LIPIDS
 REPRODUCTION

 ASEXUAL – BINARY FISSION, MULTIPLE FISSION

OR BUDDING
 SEXUAL - SYNGAMY OR CONJUGATION
 CLASSIFICATION (ORGANELLES OF
MOTOLITY)
 KINGDOM: PROTISTA
 PHYLUM: PROTOZOA
GROUPINGS: AMOEBA,

FLAGELLATES, CILIATES,
SPOROZOA
 ENTAMOEBA HISTOLYTICA
 Causes: Amoebic Dysentery
 ACANTHAMOEBA Sp.
 Causes: 1. Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis
2. Keratitis
2. FLAGELLATES - FLAGELLA (MOST
HUMAN PATHOGENS IN THIS
GROUP)
 MOST PRIMITIVE OF THE PROTOZOANS
 CHARACTERISTICS OF FLAGELLA
EUGLENA SP.
PATHOGENIC FLAGELLATES
 GIARDIA LAMBLIA
 TRICHOMONAS VAGINALIS

 TRYPANOSOMA SP.
3. CILIATES
 MOST ADVANCED OF THE PROTOZOA
 ORAL GROOVE

 CONTRACTILE VACUOLE

 NUCLEAR DIMORPHISM

 REPRODUCTION

 ASEXUALLY BY BINARY FISSION

 SEXUALLY BY CONJUGATION

 PATHOGENIC CILIATE – BALANTIDIUM COLI

 Treatment for protozoan infections is usually an
antibiotic called metranidazole also called flagyl.
4. SPOROZOA
 ALL OBLIGATE INTRACELLULAR PARASITES
 ALL HAVE COMPLEX LIFE CYCLES

 PATHOGENIC SPOROZOAN-PLASMODIUM Sp.

 CAUSATIVE AGENT OF MALARIA

 FOUR SPECIES CAUSE MALARIA

 1. P. MALARIAE
2. P. OVALE
3. P. VIVAX
4. P. FALCIPARUM
LIFE CYCLE OCCURS IN TWO
ORGANISMS
MOSQUITO (ANOPHELES Sp.) AND
ANIMAL BODY
SEXUAL CYCLE IN MOSQUITO

ASEXUAL CYCLE IN HUMAN BODY

3 IMPORTANT STAGES IN LIFE
CYCLE
SPOROZOITE

MEROZOITE

GAMETOCYTE

LIFE CYCLE OF PLASMODIUM

 SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA
 MOST DEADLY FORM IS P.FALCIPARUM

 HOW MALARIA KILLS

TREATMENT FOR MALARIA -

QUININE AND ITS DERIVATIVES
CHLOROQUINE

PRIMAQUINE

MEFLOQUINE - LARIUM

SIDE EFFECTS OF LONG TERM

USE OF QUININE
 HALLUCINATIONS
 CONVULSIONS
 EMOTIONAL CHANGES
 VACCINE????
 TOXOPLASMOSIS
 CAUSED BY TOXOPLASMA GONDII

 SEEN MOSTLY IN PEOPLE WITH

COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS
 CATS ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE LIFE
CYCLE OF THIS PROTOZOAN
 THE ORGANISM REPLICATES IN THE
INTESTINE OF THE CAT.
 IT PASSES OUT OF THE CAT IN ITS FECAL
MATERIA
 PEOPLE INJEST THE ORGANISM