WORKSHEET # 5

DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES OF MEDICALLY IMPORTANT PROTOZOANS

e Dimayacyac, Ziara; Erni, Kyra; Escala, DanicaScore Course / Year & section _ MEB31Professor Ma’am Olgga Hara Group No. 4Date Su

1. Cut and paste the photomicrographs of the protozoans you observed. Label the structures
that are present.
Entamoeba histolytica/dispar
Cyst Trophozoite

Entamoeba coli
Cyst Trophozoite
Endolimax nana
Cyst Trophozoite
cytoplasm

karyosome karyosome
cyst wall

Small pseudopod
cytoplasm vacuole

Iodamoeba butschlii
Cyst Trophozoite

cytoplasm

vacuole

no peripheral
chromatin
cytoplasm
karyosome

vacuole karyosome

nucleus

cyst wall

Giardia lamblia
Cyst Trophozoite

cyst wall flagella

nucleus
axostyle

nucleus
axostyle
Ventral
disk

parabasal
body

Chilomastix mesnili
 Cyst Trophozoite

Retracted Nucleus
flagellum Single nucleus

Pyriform shaped
C = lemon-shaped with “cap” cyst wall C = Cytosomal groove
F = Anterior directed flagella
Balantidium coli
Cyst Trophozoite
Micronucleus
Peristomal cilia Oval-shaped
Large curved macronucleus Cytostome
Contractile
vacuole

Cilia Food vacuoles

W = smooth round shape cyst wall Large curved macronucleus

2. What is the importance of being able to distinguish the cyst form from trophozoite forms
of most pathogenic protozoans?
The life cycle of a protozoan undergoes several stages that varies in structures and activity.
A general term described to those active, feeding, multiplying stage of most protozoa is known as
the trophozoite. This stage can be further categorized depending on the absence or presence of a
flagellum and in the position of the kinetoplast associated with the flagellum. Trophozoite
eventually transforms into a cyst in a process termed as encystation. As the protozoans are in the
form of cysts, they can survive harsh conditions, such as extreme temperatures, harmful
chemicals, and inadequate supply of nutrients, water, or oxygen for a long period of time. The
exposure of protozoans to the following conditions promotes their capacity to evade the immune
system responses of a person during drug therapies and they can survive prolonged periods of
time before infection. This stage of their life enables them to survive outside of a host, and permit
transmission from one host to another. Knowing the difference in the life stages of protozoans will
play a major role to determine their ability to function as pathogens and infect various hosts.

3. Fill the table below.

 Comparison of E. histolytica from other intestinal commensals.
Amoeba Size Karyosome Chromatin granules

Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba coli

Endolimax nana

Iodamoeba butschlii

4. What is the importance of being able to distinguish the pathogenic protozoan species from
the non-pathogenic ones?

5. Fill the table below.

Comparison of trophozoites of medically important protozoan species.
Protozoan Size (µm) Primary habitat Motility Disease caused
in host
Entamoeba 10-35 colon and unidirectional Amebiasis
histolytica cecum
Giardia lamblia 15-30 Small intestine Flagella; Falling Giardasis
(duodenum) leaf
Balantidium coli 50-130 colon and cilia; rotary Balantidiasis
cecum
Trichomonas 10-30 Women: lower Flagella Trichomoniasis
vaginalis genital tract;
Men: urethra
and prostate
Cryptosporidium 2-6 Intestine Gliding Cryptosporidiosis
parvum (mainly
jejunum)
 6. What preventive and control measures can you give against intestinal protozoan diseases?
Intestinal protozoa are spread by the fecal-oral route which means that the
infections are widespread in areas with inadequate sanitation and water treatment. They
are also common in settings where there are fecal incontinence and poor hygiene. In
order to prevent intestinal protozoan diseases, it is a must to regularly wash hands with
soap and hot water before and after using the toilet and before preparing or eating foods.
Another simple way to prevent such diseases is to simply disinfect hands with alcohol.
Also, practicing food safety is an important preventive measure that includes avoiding the
consumption of raw fish and seafoods, thoroughly cooking meat products, wash, peel, or
cook all raw fruits and vegetables. Moreover, some gastrointestinal protozoa are spread
sexually along with activities that involve oral-anal contact. For some instances, several
protozoan species cause severe opportunistic infections among patients with AIDS hence,
one must always be mindful with their actions specially when their health would be at
stake and perform preventive measures as much as possible. Although, the general health
care strategies have emphasized preventive medicine and community cooperation to
control the proliferation of the endemic disease. It also has created a favorable climate
for the design and implementation of control measures against intestinal parasitic
Conclusion:

Protozoans are microscopic, unicellular eukaryotes which embodies a relatively complex internal
structure as well as it carries out complex metabolic activities while some of them possess structures which
enables their motility. Most of their species causes human disease and they are categorized under phyla
Sacromastigophora and Apicomplexa. In addition, they also have a variety of life cycle stages wherein the
actively fed and multiplying organism are usually called trophozoites. For those that turns into a cyst
through encystation, it has a protective membrane or thickened wall. With this certain structure, they have
the ability to survive outside the host and even have more resistant walls than cysts that form in tissues.
Differentiating a trophozoite from a cyst of various intestinal protozoans will contribute to the
determination of the protozoan’s pathogenesis. Since the transmission of pathogenic intestinal protozoans
travels through a fecal-oral route, one must be mindful of what they take in their body, take preventive
measures by thorough cleaning of their hands and also take note of the precautions when having sexual
activities as it may be also transferred by this means.
References:
Bio.LibreTexts. 2021. Protozoa. Retrieved May 14, 2021 from
https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Book
%3A_Microbiology_(Boundless)/14%3A_Pathogenicity/14.6%3A_Pathogenicity_and_Other_Microb
es/14.6B%3A_Protozoa

Pearson, R. 2020. Overview of Intestinal Protozoan and Microsporidia Infections. Retrieved May 14, 2021
from https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/infectious-diseases/intestinal-protozoa-and-
microsporidia/overview-of-intestinal-protozoan-and-microsporidia-infections

Sampson, S. 2018. What Are Intestinal Worms? Retrieved May 14, 2021 from
https://www.healthline.com/health/intestinal-worms

World Health Organization. 2021. Prevention and control of intestinal parasitic infections: WHO Technical
Report Series. Retrieved May 14, 2021 from
https://www.who.int/intestinal_worms/resources/who_trs_749/en/

Yaeger RG. Protozoa: Structure, Classification, Growth, and Development. In: Baron S, editor. Medical
Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996.
Chapter 77. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8325/