UNIVERSITY OF SAN AGUSTIN

MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY

LABORATORY ACTIVITY 3
Parasitology

Part I. Protozoans

A. Answer the following questions

1. What is a protozoan? What are their distinct characteristics?
Protozoa are unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms that lack a cell wall
and are members of the Kingdom Protista. Fission, schizogony, and budding
are all asexual ways for protozoa to reproduce. Some protozoa are sexually
reproducible. Only a few protozoa cause illness. They are represented by four
major groups namely Flagellates, Ciliates, Sarcodina, and Sporozoans.

2. What protozoans do you know that can cause diseases to humans?

Animal-like protists, or protozoa, cause the majority of protist illnesses in
humans. When protozoa become human parasites, they make us sick.
Trypanosoma is a genus of flagellate protozoa that causes sleeping sickness,
which is quite widespread in Africa. They are also responsible for Chagas
disease, which is widespread throughout South America. Giardiasis is a
disease caused by flagellate protozoa. The parasites enter the body by food
or water tainted by sick individuals or animals' excrement. The protozoa
attach themselves to the lining of the small intestine, preventing the host
from adequately absorbing nutrition. Diarrhea, stomach discomfort, and
fever are all possible side effects. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium protozoa.
A mosquito vector spreads the parasites. Parasites enter the bloodstream of
a host by a mosquito bite. Fever, joint discomfort, anemia, and weariness are
all indications of the parasites infecting the host's red blood cells.
3. Provide a diagram on the life cycle of different parasitic protozoans affecting
humans. (At least three diagrams)

I. Trypanosoma Protozoa

II. Giardia Protozoa

 III. Plasmodium Protozoa

4. Which protozoan causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis?

Naegleria fowleri, a form of free-living ameba, causes primary amebic
meningoencephalitis, an uncommon and generally deadly infection of the
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). When people swim in
polluted warm, fresh water, amebas can enter the brain through the nose.
Changes in smell or taste, headaches, a stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting can
all lead to disorientation and mortality in primary amebic
meningoencephalitis. The "brain-eating amoeba" Naegleria fowleri is found
all over the world.

Part II. Nematodes

A. Answer the following questions

1. What is a nematode? What are their distinct characteristics?
By carrying living and dormant microorganisms on their surfaces and in
their digestive tracts, nematodes aid in the distribution of bacteria and
fungus through the soil and along roots. Food supply Nematodes are prey for
higher-level predators such as predatory nematodes, soil microarthropods,
and soil insects. They have a triploblastic, bilaterally symmetrical body. Their
form is cylindrical. They are organized at the tissue level. A cavity, or
pseudocoelom, exists in their body. With the mouth and the anus, the
alimentary canal is separate.
2. Provide a diagram of the life cycle of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichura,
Strongyloides stercoralis, Hookworms, Capillaria philipinensis, Trichinella
spiralis, Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugaria malayi.
3. What is Loeffler’s syndrome? This condition is associated with nematodes?

Loeffler's syndrome is a chronic inflammatory lung disease discovered by

Wilhelm Loffler. It's linked to blood inflammation, which causes abdominal
pain and cramps, skin rashes, breathing difficulties, wheezing, coughing, and
fever. One of the main causes of this disease is Ascaris lumbricoides, which is
connected to nematodes that is It is acquired when a person comes into
touch with the parasite through soil, resulting in parasitic infection and
eosinophil accumulation in the lungs as a results of parasitic infection

4. Which among the nematodes are transmitted by skin penetration?

Nematodes such as Threadworms and hookworms are intestinal parasites

that can be transmitted through skin penetration and infect individuals
worldwide.
5. Differentiate Wuchereria bancrofti from Brugaria malayi.
Wuchereria bancrofti is a filarial worm found in the lymph nodes of humans
causing a lymphatic filariasis called Bancroft's filariasis while is a filarial
(arthropod-borne) nematode (roundworm), one of the three causative
agents of lymphatic filariasis in humans.
6. How can we prevent and control roundworm infection?
Practice good hygiene and eat only cooked food. Food and drink safety is a
must too.
 B. Fill-out the table below with appropriate answer.(24 points)

Parasite Source of Infection Mode of Characteristic Manifestation

Transmission
Trichuris Ingesting eggs Via fecal-oral May cause anemia, abdominal
trichura transmission discomfort, bloody diarrhea,
stunted growth, and, in overt
cases, may lead to rectal
prolapse.
Ascaris Ingesting worm eggs Transmission occurs abdominal pain, bloating,
lumbricoides when eggs are nausea, vomiting, anorexia,
swallowed from soil intermittent diarrhea
contaminated with
human faeces or
consumed with
produce
contaminated with
soil containing
infective eggs.
Strongyloides Walking barefoot, Contact with soil that Abdominal pain and diarrhea,
stercoralis contact with sewage or is contaminated with rash, pulmonary symptoms
human waste, or free-living larvae. (including cough and wheezing),
contact with and eosinophilia.
contaminated soil due
to occupations like
farming or coal mining
Hookworms Hookworm infection is Hookworm larvae Itching and a localized rash are
mainly acquired by penetrate the skin often the first signs of infection.
walking barefoot on when people walk A person with a heavy infection
contaminated soil. barefoot on or may experience abdominal pain,
otherwise come into diarrhea, loss of appetite,
direct contact with weight loss, fatigue and anemia.
infested soil.
Capillaria Capillaria philippinensis Through the The signs and symptoms include
philipinensis causes infections in the decomposition of general abdominal pain and
Philippines and Thailand infected animals via diarrhea. Later on, nausea,
from consumption of eggs in the liver vomiting, weight loss, and even
raw or undercooked being released into death can occur.
freshwater fish and the soil.
appear to be spreading
to other regions.
Trichinella It is caused by Most commonly Symptoms are diverse and may
spiralis consuming undercooked transmitted through include generalized fever,
 or raw meat (usually the consumption of abdominal pain, diarrhea,
pork). raw or undercooked nausea, vomiting, or myalgias.
meat of infected
animals, most
commonly domestic
pigs.
Wuchereria The disease is usually Through the bite of The individual exhibits fever,
bancroft transmitted through the an infectious chills, skin infections, painful
bite of an infectious mosquito. lymph nodes, and tender skin of
mosquito. the lymphedematous extremity.
Brugaria The typical vector for Transmitted by a Clinical manifestations include
malayi Brugia malayi filariasis mosquito vector. fever, weakness, anorexia,
are mosquito species weight loss, cough, wheezing,
from the genera and dyspnea.
Mansonia and Aedes.
Part III. Trematodes

A. Answer the following

1. Provide a life cycle diagram of Taenia saginata, Taenia solium, Diphyllobothrium
latum, Hymenolopsis nana and Echinococcus granulosus.

Life cycle of Taenia saginata

 Life cycle of Taenia solium

Life cycle of Diphyllobothrium latum

Life cycle of Hymenolopsis nana

Life cycle of Hymenolopsis nana

 2. What is a trematode? What are their distinct characteristics?
- Trematodes, or flukes, are parasitic flatworms with unique life cycles involving
sexual reproduction in mammalian and other vertebrate definitive hosts and
asexual reproduction in snail intermediate hosts. Trematodes are flatworms
classified in the phylum Platyhelminthes, class Trematoda, subclass Digenea. In
general, trematodes are dorso-ventrally flattened and leaflike in shape. Their
bodies are covered with tegument, which is usually armed with scalelike spines.
They have two suckers: one oral and one ventral.

3. What infections/disease do they cause? (provide at least 2)

- via the consumption of contaminated food (raw fish, crustaceans or vegetables)
- causes massive loss through affecting liver function, reducing production of milk,
meat, and wool, and leading to poor weight gain, infertility, loss of vigor, and
increased susceptibility to many diseases as well as mortality.

4. Fill-out the table below with appropriate answer.

Parasite Source of Infection Mode of Characteristic

Transmission Manifestation

Fasciola Eating raw watercress The young worms Abdominal pain and
hepatica or other water plants move through hepatomegaly
contaminated with the intestinal
immature parasite wall, the
larvae. abdominal cavity,
and the liver
tissue, into the
bile ducts, where
they develop into
mature adult
flukes that
produce eggs.
Schistosoma Occurs when your skin Freshwater Systemic
japonicum comes in contact with becomes symptoms/signs
contaminated contaminated by including fever, cough,
freshwater in which Schistosoma eggs abdominal pain,
certain types of snails when infected diarrhea,
that carry schistosomes people urinate or hepatosplenomegaly,
are living. defecate in the and eosinophilia
water.
Clonorchis Eating infected raw or The eggs of Characterized by
sinensis undercooked fish Clonorchis are inflammation and
containing the larvae. ingested by intermittent
freshwater snails.
 After the eggs obstruction of the
hatch, infected biliary ducts
snails release
microscopic
larvae that then
enter freshwater
fish.
Paragonimus Eating infected crab or The larval stages Diarrhea, abdominal
westermani crawfish that is either, of the parasite pain, fever, cough,
raw, partially cooked, are released urticaria,
pickled, or salted. when the crab or hepatosplenomegaly,
crawfish is pulmonary
digested. They abnormalities, and
then migrate eosinophilia.
within the body,
most often
ending up in the
lungs.

Part IV. Cestodes

A. Answer the following.

1. What are cestodes? What is their defining character?

Cestodes, often known as tapeworms, are parasitic worms that live in the
gastrointestinal tracts of their hosts (definitive hosts). Cestodes differ from other
parasitic worms in that they have a long, flat body (ribbon-like) that can reach a
length of over 20 meters depending on the species. They also have a segmented
body, which plays a crucial part in their life cycle.
 2. What are the main differences between cestodes, trematodes, and nematodes?

Characteristics Cestodes Trematodes Nematodes

Shape Tape-like Leaf-like Elongated,

segmented segmented cylindrical
unsegmented

Sex Not separate Not separate Separate

(Monoecious) (Monoecious (Diecious)
except
Schistosoma)

Head Suckers, often Suckers, no hooks No suckers, no

with hooks hooks, well
developed

Alimentary canal Absent Present, Present,

Incomplete, no Complete, Anus
anus present

Body cavity Absent Absent Absent

3. What is a hermaphrodite? Are cestodes considered hermaphrodites?

When a live thing contains both male and female reproductive organs, whether
naturally or unnaturally, it is called a hermaphrodite. Cestodes are hermaphrodites,
meaning they have both male and female reproductive systems in their bodies. Male
organs comprise one or more testes, cirri, vas deferens, and seminal vesicles,
whereas female organs include a single lobed or unlobed ovary, as well as the
connected oviduct and uterus.

B. Fill-out the table below with appropriate answer.

Parasite Common Name Infective Form Intermediate Host

Taenia saginata beef tapeworm eggs ingested by an cattle
intermediate host
hatch into infectious
larval cysts which is
found in the meat of
cattle
Taenia solium pork tapeworm eggs ingested by pids pigs
developed into larvae,
then into oncospheres,
 and ultimately into
infective tapeworm
cysts, called
cysticercus.
Diphyllobothrium broad fish tapeworm the infective stage for planktonic crustacean
latum humans is the and one or more
plerocercoid larvae freshwater fish
Hymenolopsis nana dwarf tapeworm cysticercoid larvae fleas, grain beetles,
from insects, and eggs and etc.
(if eaten directly by a
definitive host)
Echinococcus hydatid tapeworm / eggs in the feces of cattle, goat, sheep,
granulosus dog tapeworm humans swine, and etc.

Part V. Optional Task (+30 points – Individual Task)

1. After having several discussions, I realized how most of my class didn’t bother to at
least know how to make a culture media. So, in this part I am giving an optional task
where a student needs to create a video of themselves explaining how to make a
bacterial culture. Starting from agar preparation down to collecting samples from
patients and growing the bacterial culture.
a. The video doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to be in English sana
Filipino kung kaya because I am not capable of understanding Ilonggo (tama
ba? Yun yung language).
b. I just really want to understand what you guys know about bacterial culture
preparation.
c. The group should create a google drive that I can access upon checking this
activity. So put the link of the google folder here. Two minutes is enough pero
kung hindi you can add more as long as it will not exceed 5 minutes. Another
thing, you can use diagrams or pictures or even a ppt presentation to make it
easier to explain.
d. Please use your name as the file name of the video – example: “Smith,
John.mp4”. Or at least include your names in the video.
e. If you guys don’t like your other classmates to access the video, then create a
different link where my email: jpramirez@usa.edu.ph is the only one allowed
to access the contents of the folder. And you can drop the link here.
f. I promise the additional 30 points is worth it. You guys can even work
together but record different videos so it will be easier. Same script just a
different person in front of the camera.