Microbiology

Microbiology Study Guide

Protozoan Diseases Malaria Malaria is caused by the transmission of parasites from the genus Plasmodium, from the species Sporozoa Anophele species. It infects the red blood cells of the infected individual in the merozite form. Once the parasite enters the red blood cells of the individual, they remain highly active and even pass through a number of stages of their life cycle, finally producing a large number of parasites. During these changes in the red blood cells, the infected person suffers from an outburst of chills and fever in the body. Further, the person becomes severely anemic and a number of infections develop in the red blood cells, elevating the mortality rate. The disease is generally treated with the help of medications and drugs like quinine, chloroquine, and primaquine. Sleeping Sickness (Trypanosomiasis) Sleeping sickness is also known as trypanosomiasis because the etiologic agent is a protozoan belonging to the genus Trypanosoma . The sleeping sickness in Africa is caused by the tsetse flies from the species T. brucei, which infects the blood and impacts the nervous system of infected individuals. Major symptoms of this disease include lassitude, tremors, headache, and loss of control of body movements. The infection is diagnosed using the smear test of the blood and effective treatment is possible through pentamidine and suramin. The disease in South America is popularly known as Chagas’ disease, which is caused by the triatomid bugs from the species T. Cruzi . The virus causes severe infection in the heart tissues, destroying the ganglia nerve and the nervous system of the infected person. Toxoplasmosis Another protozoan disease caused by the species of Toxoplasma gondii is Toxoplasmosis, and the carrier of this protozoan is the urine or feces of house cats. Once affected, the protozoa enter and multiply in the blood of the infected persons and finally jeopardize the reproductive system. Symptoms of this disease are fever and other mild abnormalities, except for pregnant patients, in which the protozoa can infect and destroy the tissues of the fetus. In patients suffering from AIDS, the protozoa have the ability to cause death by causing inflammation in the brain. 5.6 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) In 1981, AIDS was recognized as an epidemic disease in the United States due to the spread of large incidences of opportunistic infections caused by microbes. This infection destroys the T-lymphocyte cells in the immune system of the infected person. It was only after three years that the carrier of this disease was identified 1986, the species causing this infection was christened human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The virus is highly fragile and is easily transmitted to others through blood and semen. The disease is transmitted by the use of contaminated needles during injecting intravenous drugs and bleeding cases during anal intercourse. Another possible cause of transmission of this virus is the abrasions in the reproductive organs formed during heterosexual intercourse. one of the protozoa (Apicomplexa). The carrier of the parasite is the mosquito from the

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