Parasitology Passer<3

• Symbiosis


  The living together or close association of two dissimilar organisms (usually two different species)
• Symbionts


  The organisms that live together in such a relationship
• Types of symbiosis


  • Neutralism
  • Commensalism
  • Mutualism
  • Parasitism
• Neutralism


  A symbiotic relationship in which neither symbiont is affected by the relationship
• Commensalism


  A symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to one symbiont and of no consequence
• Mutualism


  A symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to both symbionts
• Parasitism


  A symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to one symbiont (the parasite) and detrimental to the other symbiont (the host)
• Habitat of parasites


  • Ectoparasites
  • Endoparasites
• Ectoparasites


  Parasites that live on the outside of the host's body
• Endoparasites


  Parasites that live on the inside of the host's body
• Facultative parasite


  An organism that can be parasitic but does not have to live as a parasite. It is capable of living an independent life
• Obligate parasite


  Has no choice. To survive, it must be a parasite. Most parasites that infect humans are obligate parasites
• Mode of living of parasites

  • Permanent parasite
  • Intermittent parasite
  • Accidental parasite
  • Transitory parasite
  • Erratic parasite
  • Spurious parasite
• Permanent parasite


  Lives from the host, from the young stage until it matures
• Intermittent parasite


  During feeding stage they enter human host (non photogenic)
• Accidental parasite


  They reach unusual host, a host that not even infected. They can affect another person
• Transitory parasite


  They travel to a person's GIT, cause illness, and only the larval stage that we can see and once it matures it moves out of the person
• Erratic parasite


  Sudden, unusual organs
• Spurious parasite


  Transitory but not cause illness, they just travel the length of GIT
• Hermaphrodites have both female and male organs
• Types of hosts


  • Definitive host/Final host
  • Intermediate host
  • Paratenic host
  • Reservoir host
  • Incidental host
  • Vector host
• Definitive host/Final host


  The host that harbors the adult or sexual stage of the parasite or the sexual phase of the life cycle
• Intermediate host


  The host that harbors the larval or asexual stage of the parasite or the asexual phase of the life cycle
• Paratenic host


  They just carry the parasites to its final host, they are not harmed carrying the parasites, and there is no further development
• Reservoir host


  Where parasites thrive and they mature, but doesn't show/elucidate any signs or symptoms despite the parasites thriving inside the host
• Incidental host


  Where a certain parasite is found, they usually show signs and symptoms
• Vector host


  Insects like flies, mosquitoes, and bugs that can carry and transmit parasites
• Types of vectors


  • Biological vectors
  • Mechanical vectors
• Biological vectors


  There are development stages of the parasite inside the vector
• Mechanical vectors


  There are no developmental stages of the parasite inside the vector, they just transport the parasites to the final host or paratenic host
• Examples of vectors


  • Female anopheles mosquitoes
  • Sand flies
  • Tse tse fly
  • Reduviid bug
  • Triatomine bug
  • Culex mosquitoes
  • Mansomia mosquitoes
• Naegleria fowleri


  Brain-eating amoeba that causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain infection that destroys brain tissue
• Stages in the life cycle of Naegleria fowleri

  • Cysts
  • Trophozoites
  • Flagellated forms
• Definition of terms: exposure and infection

  • Carrier
  • Exposure
  • Infection
  • Incubation
  • Autoinfection
• Carrier


  A host or a person carrying the parasites/pathogen or harboring the causative agent, but they don't have signs and symptoms and can infect another person
• Exposure


  The capacity of a pathogen to reach a person
• Infection


  The pathogen literally reaches the person and starts to thrive or multiply inside them
• Incubation


  The period where the pathogen starts to adapt to the new environment and begin to thrive, there could be minimal signs and symptoms
• Sources of infection


  • Soil
  • Water
  • Blood-sucking insects (vectors)
  • Animals
  • Patients/Reservoir/Clothing/Beddings
  • Autoinfection
• Soil


  The most common source of parasitic infection, including the term "night soil" which refers to soil fertilizer containing human feces/manure