MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY AND

INTRODUCTION TO LABORATORY
TECHNIQUES

By. Mocha Clifford

 Course Purpose

 This course is designed to enable the learner

to acquire knowledge, skills and attitude to
diagnose and manage parasitic diseases in
human.

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Outcomes
3

 Define terminologies used in parasitology.

 Describe classification and taxonomy,

epidemiology, transmission and pathogenic

process.
 Describe the manifestations, diagnosis,

management, complications and prevention

of parasites and vectors.

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Cont.
4

 Demonstrate relevant laboratory techniques

in parasitology.
 Discuss the various types of parasites and

hosts
 Explain the relationship between a parasite

and the host and their effects

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 Cont.
5

 Discuss in details the classification of

medically important parasites and vectors
 Explain the difference between the

helminthes and protozoa ,and their mode of

transmission and natural hx.

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Recommended Reference Materials

 Jayaram Panicker C.K. (2002). Text Book

of Medical Parasitology. Jaypee Brothers.
 David W. Hatton. (2001). Practical

Exercises in Parasitology. CUP.

 Basavanthappa BT, (2008) community

Health. New Delhi, Jaypee Brothers

medical publishers.

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

GENERAL PARASITOLOGY

UNIT ONE
8 HEBREWS 10:23

LET US HOLD FAST THE

CONFESSION OF OUR HOPE
WITHOUT WAVERING, FOR
HE WHO PROMISED IS
FAITHFUL.
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Objectives.
9

 Discuss the various types of parasites and

hosts.
 Explain the relationship between a parasite

and the host and their effects.

 Discuss in detail the classification of

medically important parasites.

 Explain the difference between the Cestodes,

Nematodes, Trematodes and protozoa

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Parasitology
10

 Medical parasitology is the science that

deals with organisms living in the human
body (the host) and the medical
significance of this host-parasite
relationship.
 Is the study of parasites, basically focusing

on the parasites that infect humans, the

disease caused and response generated with
various methodsKMTC
of Ediagnosis and
LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
preventing them.
 Cont.
11

 Parasite-is an organism depending on other

organisms for support, shelter and food.
 Mainly :

a. Macroparasites-are large multicellular

parasites like helminths-

cestodes,frematodes,nematodes
b. Microparasites-are small unicellular parasites

which multiply within vertebrae host(inside

the cell).protozoa
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 Cont.
12

 Parasitology is generally classified into:

a) Medical Protozoology - Deals with the

study of medically important protozoa.

b) Medical Helminthology - Deals with the

study of helminthes (worms) that affect man.

c) Medical Entomology - Deals with the study

of arthropods which cause or transmit

disease to man.
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Parasitology
13

 Have a basic knowledge of the more common

disease causing parasites including:
 Life cycle
 Visual identification
 Pathophysiology of disease state
 Symptoms of disease
 Diagnosis
 Methods of prevention and principles of

treatment KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Terminologies
14

 A parasite: “a living organism that acquires

some of its basic nutritional requirements
through its intimate contact with another
living organism”. Parasites may be simple
unicellular protozoa or complex multicellular
metazoa
 Eukaryote: a cell with a well-defined
chromosome in a membrane-bound nucleus.
All parasitic organisms are eukaryotes
 Protozoa: unicellular organisms, e.g.
Plasmodium (malaria)
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 Cont.
15

 Metazoa: multicellular organisms, e.g.

helminths (worms) and arthropods (ticks,
lice)
 Infection:-In narrower definition infection

implies that the biological agents multiplies

within the host.
 Zoonosis: “a parasitic disease in which an

animal is normally the host - but which also

infects man
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 Cont.
16

 Prepatency: The phase of the disease between

infection and the appearance of diagnosable
parasite stages (e.g. the appearance of tape worm
eggs in the feces or malaria parasites in a routine
blood smear).
 Note that this time frame can change with

improvements in the sensitivity of diagnostic

assays.
 A patent infection is thus at an established

diagnosable stage.
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 Cont.
17

 Acute disease: With the onset of symptoms the

infection enters its acute phase. Acute diseases
have a relatively quick onset and short duration.
 The symptoms worsen into a crisis and then the
disease resolves spontaneously into healing, results
in the death of the patient, or transforms into chronic
disease.
 Flu is a typical acute infectious disease. In acute
infections the parasite is usually eliminated from the
host upon resolution.
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 Cont.
18

 Chronic disease: Chronic diseases develop slowly

(often over years) are persistent and might show
no symptoms once chronic or worsen over time. In
chronic infections the parasite survives or persists
over time.
 Carrier: a host that harbours a parasite but exhibits
no clinical signs or symptoms.
 Latent period: involve the period or duration
between exposure and appearance of the symptoms
and signs.
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 Cont.
19

 Trophozoite:any stage in a protozoan’s life

cycle which can ingest food also the motile
form.
 Cyst:non motile form which is protected by

a distinct membrane or cyst wall.

 Pseudopod:literally means a false foot:

temporary cytoplasmic processes at the

surface of the trophozoite.
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 Cont.
20

 Incubation period: The incubation period

is the time between infection and the
development of symptoms and signs of
disease like fever, pain or discomfort.
 Infectivity: the ability of a disease agent to

enter, survive and multiply in the host.

 Pathogenicity:ability of an organism to

cause disease
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 Cont.
21

 Virulence: “the degree of pathogenicity”. Also

the capacity of an infectious agent to cause
death.
 Epidemic/epidemicity:the occurrence of

disease or health related event in excess of

normal expectancy.
 Endemic/endemicity:the constant presence of

a disease or infectious organisms within a

particular geographic area or population
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 Cont.
22

 Pandemic/pandemicity:an epidemic
occuring across international boundaries
and usually affecting many people
 Holoendemic/holoendemicity:state of a

disease being very common in children and

reaching a state of equilibrium such that adults
are not as commonly affected as children e.g.
malaria
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 Cont.
23

 Hyperendemic/hyperendemicity:a disease
that is constantly present at a high
incidence/prevalence and affects all age
groups equally

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 Epidemiology
24

 Although parasitic infections occur globally,

the majority occur in tropical regions, where
there is poverty, poor sanitation and personal
hygiene
 Often entire communities may be infected
with multiple, different organisms which
remain untreated because treatment is neither
accessible nor affordable
 Effective prevention and control requires
"mass intervention strategies” and intense
community education.
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 Cont.
25

 Examples include:
 General improved sanitation: pit latrines,
fresh water wells, piped water
 Vector control: insecticide impregnated
bed nets, spraying of houses with residual
insecticides, drainage, landfill
 Mass screening and drug administration
programmes which may need to be
repeated at regular intervals

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Types of parasites.
26

 Ectoparasites-are found on the skin surface

e.g flea and lice and cause infestation
 Endoparasites-found inside the body of the
host e.g all protozoa and helminths causing
infections
 Obligate parasites-organisms which cannot
survive minus a host e.g toxoplasma
gondii,microspora species

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 Cont.
27

 Facultative parasites-organisms who under

favourable conditions can live as either free
living or as parasites e.g naegleria fowleri which
is parasitic to human and is also found in water.
 Accidental parasites-organisms that do attack
unusual host e.g Echinoccocus granulosus
which is a dog tapeworm but in close
association with a dog can infect human.

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 Cont.
28

 Aberrant parasites-organisms that attack a

host where they cannot live or develop
further e.g toxocara canis in human usually
a cat parasite
 Erratic parasite - is one that wanders into

an organ in which it is not usually found.

E.g. Entamoeba histolytica in the liver or
lung of humans.
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Host.
29

Are organisms harbouring the parasite providing

nourishment and shelter.
TYPES
 Definitive hosts-usually harbours the most

developed form of parasites(adults)or where sexual

replication takes place e.g. mosquito are definitive
hosts of plasmodium species
 Intermediate host-harbours the larval form of the

parasites or where asexual replication takes place

e.g. human are intermediate hosts of plasmodium.
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 Cont.
30

 Reseivor host-host harbouring parasites and

serves as an important source of infection to
other susceptible host e.g. buffalo is a reseivor
host for trapanoma species.
 Paratenic host – a host that serves as a

temporary refuge and vehicle for reaching an

obligatory host, usually the definitive host, i.e.
it is not necessary for the completion of the
parasites life cycle.
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 Cont.
31

 Natural host – a host that is naturally

infected with certain species of parasite.
 Accidental host – a host that under normal

circumstances is not infected with the

parasite.

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 Vector
32

 Is an insect host which transmit parasites to

man and animals.

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 Cont.
33

TYPES.
a) Mechanical vector-vectors that only transmit the
infection from one place to another l.e the parasite
doesn't undergo any form of development in the
vector e.g. housefly that transmit E.histolytica
b) Biological vector-vectors where the parasites
must undergo development before being
transmitted to the next hosts e.g. mosquitos and
plasmodium parasites

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 Host-parasites relationship
34

 They include:
 Symbiosis-is an association in which both the host
and parasite are so dependent on each other such
that one cannot live minus the other
 Commensalism-relationship in which only the
parasite benefits but the host does not gain or loose
from the relationship e.g entamoeba gingivalis
found on human mouths
 Mutualism-relationship in which both the parasites
and host benefits
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 Cont.
35

 Parasitism-Denotes a relationship in which one

organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the
other organism (the host).
 In some instances the parasitism will be overtly
harmful to the host and referred to as being
pathogenic.
 These pathogenic protozoa will be the primary focus
of this course.
 Phoresis-means to carry the bigger organism l.e
transport of the smaller one from one place to another.
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Cont.
36

EFFECT OF PARASITES ON THE HOST

 The damage which pathogenic parasites

produce in the tissues of the host may be

described in the following two ways;

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 Cont.
37

(a) Direct effects of the parasite on the host

 Mechanical injury - may be inflicted by a parasite by

means of pressure as it grows larger, e.g.Hydatid cyst

causes blockage of ducts such as blood vessels producing
infraction.
 Deleterious effect of toxic substances- in Plasmodium

falciparum production of toxic substances may cause

rigors and other symptoms.
 Deprivation of nutrients, fluids and metabolites -

parasite may produce disease by competing with the host

for nutrients.
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024
 Cont.
38

(b) Indirect effects of the parasite on the host:

 Immunological reaction: Tissue damage may be

caused by immunological response of the host, e.g.

nephritic syndrome following Plasmodium
infections.
 Excessive proliferation of certain tissues due to

invasion by some parasites can also cause tissue

damage in man, e.g. fibrosis of liver after
deposition of the ova of Schistosoma.

KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024

 39 THE END.
“No man should marry until he has studied
anatomy and dissected at least one woman”

Honore de Balzac

Thank you!!
KMTC E LEARNING Series. 04/02/2024