Parasitic Infections
Parasitic Infections
Parasitic Infections
Prevention
- Avoid getting bitten
- Use anti-malaria medication
(prophylaxis) –
chloroquine, mefloquine,
primaquine
Leishmania
Causes leishmaniasis, transmitted by sand fly bites
Endemic in parts of the tropics and subtropics
Wild and domestic dogs and small rodents are common
hosts
2 million new cases yearly around the world
Symptoms:
* weight loss, low blood count, fever, dark
skin
pigmentation, renal failure, skin ulcers, etc.
Treatment – medication
Prevention – prevention of being
bitten
CAUSE: It is a parasitic disease of humans and
other animals, caused by protozoa of the
species Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by
the tsetse fly.
SYMPTOMS: Characterized by fever, headaches,
joint pains, and itching.Invasion of the circulatory
and lymphatic systems by the parasites is
associated with severe swelling of lymph nodes.
Disruption of the sleep cycle is a leading
symptom of this stage and is the one that gave
the disease the name 'sleeping sickness.'
TREATMENT: Currently there are few medically related
prevention options for Trypanosomiasis (i.e. no
vaccine exists for immunity). Although the risk of
infection from a tsetse fly bite is minor (estimated at
less than 0.1%), the use of insect repellants, wearing
long-sleeved clothing, avoiding tsetse-dense areas are
best preventing option.
Helminths are macroscopic, multicellular,
eukaryotic worms
Life cycles are complex
Intermediate hosts are often needed to support
larval stages
Three groups of helminthes
Cestodes (tapeworm)
Trematodes (fluke)
Nematodes (roundworm)
Tapeworm Infestation is the infection of the digestive
tract by adult parasitic flatworms called cestodes
or tapeworms. Live tapeworm larvae are sometimes
ingested by consuming undercooked food. Once inside
the digestive tract, a larva can grow into a very large adult
tapeworm.
Mode of Infection: Most common tapeworms in
humans are the pork tapeworm (T. solium),
the beef tapeworm (T. saginata), the fish
tapeworm and the dwarf tapeworm
Calliphoridae (blowflies)
Oestridae (botflies)
Sarcophagidae (fleshflies)
SYMPTOMS: Myiasis varies widely in the
forms it takes and its effects on the victims.
Such variations depend largely on the fly
species and where the larvae are located.
Some flies lay eggs in open wounds, other
larvae may invade unbroken skin or enter the
body through the nose or ears, and still others
may be swallowed if the eggs are deposited on
the lips or on food
First response to cutaneous myiasis once the
breathing hole has formed, is to cover the air
hole thickly with petroleum jelly. Lack of oxygen
then forces the larva to the surface, where it
can more easily be dealt with. In a clinical or
veterinary setting there may not be time for
such tentative approaches, and the treatment
of choice might be more direct, with or without
an incision. First the larva must be eliminated
through pressure around the lesion and the use
of forceps. Secondly the wound must be
cleaned and disinfected.