SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

PHINMA
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY

Introduction to Parasitology
BY: DR. MA THERESA STEPHANIE YEE-MORATA

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Parasitology - area of biology concerned

with phenomenon of dependence of one living organism on another

Medical Parasitology - concerned primarily with

the animal parasites of humans, their medical significance as well as their importance in
human communities.

TROPICAL MEDICINE

Tropical disease: an illness indigenous to or endemic in a tropical area.

- sporadic - in non - tropical
- epidemic

A. BIOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIP
Symbiosis: living together of unlike organisms

a. Commensalism
E. coli in intestinal lumen

b. Mutualism
termites and flagellates in
their digestive system

c. Parasitism
Entamoeba histolytica in
intestinal lumen

B. PARASITE

1. Relationship as to location or habitat

- endoparasite - infection
- ectoparasite - infestation erratic
- obligate parasites - need a host to develop and propagate their species (tapeworms)
- facultative parasite - may exist in a free living stage or may become parasitic when the
need arises

2. Host specificity
a. incidental parasite - establishes itself in a host where it does not ordinarily live
b. permanent parasite - remains on or in the host for its entire life
c. temporary - lives on the host for a short period of time
d. spurious - a free living organism that passes through the digestive tract without
infecting the host
C. HOST

Types:
1. Definitive or final host - one in which parasite attains sexual maturity (taenias) in man
2. Intermediate host - harbors the asexual or larval stage of the parasite (pigs and cattle
and taenia)
3. Paratenic host - the parasite does not develop but remains alive and able to infect
another susceptible host. (Paragonimus westermani metacercaria in raw wild boar meat)

* they widen the parasite distribution and bridge the ecological gap between the definitive and
intermediate host.

4. Reservoir hosts - they allow the parasites life cycle to continue and become an
additional source of human infection (pigs and Balantidium coli)

D. Vectors

- biologic - essential to life cycle (where infective stage develops)

- mechanical or phoretic -only transports

E. Exposure(inoculation) and Infection(take)

- pathogens - autoinfection
- carrier - hyperinfection or super infection

F. Incubation period
- period between infection and evidence of symptoms

a. clinical incubation period

b. biologic incubation period - or prepatent period ; period between infection or acquisition
of the parasite and evidence or demonstration of infection

G. Sources of Infection
- soil
- water
- food - raw meat, snails, crabs
- vectors - anthropods, mosquitos, bugs, flies
- other animals
- humans
- clothing
- self

H. Modes of transmission (Portal of entry)

1. Mouth - most common

2. Skin penetration - Hookworms, Strongyloids, Schistosome
3. Arthropod bites - malaria, filaria,leishmania
4. Congenital transmission - Placental -toxoplasma gondii
* transmammary - Ancylostoma and Strongyloides
5. Inhalation of airborne eggs: enterobius
6. Sexual intercourse - Trichomonas
LIFE CYCLE
Simple
ova - larva - adult

Complicated
- several hosts - intermediate hosts
- developmental stages in environment or other hosts

As the life cycle becomes more complicated the lesser the chances are, for the individual
parasite to survive.
I. Host - Parasite Relationship
Adaptation - led to changes in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology and structure
of the parasite essential to survival

A. Locomotory and digestive organs

B. Reproductive systems
- highly and elaborate - tapeworms
- hermophroditic - flukes and tapeworms
- asexual reproduction in flukes

C. stream lining - biochemical adaptation - parasite can no longer synthesize certain cellular
components

D. Specialized mechanisms for entry

- enzymes
- penetration glands
- hooklets

A Effects of Parasite on the host

1. Interference with vital procesess of host through enzyme systems

2. Invasion and destruction of host tissues cutting plates of Hookworms, deposition of

schistosome eggs in the liver

3. Deprivation of essential substances to the host

4. Stimulation of host tissue reaction

5. Toxic and allergic phenomenon

B. Effects of the Host on the Parasite

1. Genetic make-up maybe favorable or not to the parasites (sickle cell tract and falciparum
malaria)
2. Nutritional states - carbohydrate vs.Protein rich diet

3. Immune processes may modify severity of disease in endemic area

J. Immunology of Parasitic Infections

1. Immune response
a. humoral
b. cell mediated

2. Acquired resistance
Adaptive mechanisms of parasites to evade host immune response:
a. being intracellular in macrophages (Leishmania and Toxoplasma)
b. production of variable surface glycoproteins (VSG) - trypanosomes
c. alternating populations of parasites - malaria
d. acquisition of host antigens - Schistosomes
e. Production of proteases

3. Immune dependence of drug action

 The immune response is crucial to the successful treatment of some parasitic infections.
* Praziquantel

4. Immunopathology

Hypersensitive immune responses a parasite can sometimes cause more harm than
the parasite itself

5. Vaccines
-available against Ancylostoma caninum for dogs, Babesia for cattle, Leishmania
major for humans

Use of Vaccine
1. Prophylactic - anti-infection

2. Transmission blocking - targets development

3. Anti-pathology - down regulates immunopathology