Diseases caused by parasites are called parasitoses. Parasitology is a medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of these parasitic diseases.
What is parasitology?
Parasitology is a medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of these parasitic diseases. A parasite is an organism that needs a host to survive and infects the host for the purpose of reproduction. It damages the foreign organism that serves as its host by destroying its cells, affecting the functions of its organs, and depriving it of nutrients. This process causes various ailments and diseases that may or may not be fatal. Parasites transmit pathogens in the form of viruses and bacteria. Parasitology is closely related to bacteriology, mycology, tropical medicine, human infectiology, and virology.
Treatments and therapies
Mosquito-borne leishmaniasis infects people with protozoa. Trichomonad infection is transmitted through sexual intercourse. Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) develops through sucking worms (schistosomes). The parasites enter the human circulation through contaminated water. The tsetse fly is responsible for sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), which is widespread in the tropical regions of Africa. Tapeworm infection can be transmitted to humans through contaminated or inadequately heated beef. In toxoplasmosis, cats serve as the final host with mammals and birds as intermediate hosts. Lyme disease, Japanese spotted fever, early summer meningoencephalitis, and spotted fever are transmitted by ectoparasites such as fleas, ticks, mites, or lice. Mosquito-borne malaria is one of the most well-known and widespread diseases in tropical regions. Parasitoses are hardly indigenous to the northern hemisphere. Most infectious diseases originate in tropical regions. Some parasites are harmless to healthy people and are excreted after a certain time. Some remain for life without causing damage. People in the northern hemisphere mainly do not become infected with indigenous parasites, but bring them in after traveling to the affected regions. The unwanted guests appear as ectoparasites (external parasite) on the organism or as endoparasites (internal parasite) within the organism. Ectoparasites reside externally in the hair, on the skin, or in the clothing of their host. Endoparasites infest the organism from the inside and nest in the blood, intestines and tissues. The parasites infest humans, animals and plants. Some “grace” their host with their presence only temporarily (intermediate host), while others nest permanently in their host (stationary host). The first symptoms of parasitoses occur with a time delay analogous to the incubation period. In infections, the period between parasite infestation and the detection of eggs or larvae is called prepatency. The period until the parasites are excreted is referred to in technical terminology as godparenthood. Most parasites complete a generational transition. They develop obligately (forced) or facultatively (optional) in one, several, the same, or different hosts. Monoxonic parasites infect one host, polyxenic parasites infect multiple hosts. Homoxonic parasites undergo the entire developmental cycle in one host, whereas heteroxonic parasites undergo a developmental cycle with host switching. Reproduction occurs in the final host. If the uninvited subtenants preferentially infest one host, this host is referred to as the primary host. Secondary hosts are hardly affected by parasite infestation, while transport hosts (intermediate hosts) serve exclusively to transport the parasites from one host to another. There, either no reproduction or only sex-neutral (asexual) reproduction occurs. The reservoir host stores the parasites for further colonization as an escape route. If a parasite settles in an organism in which its reproduction is unsuccessful, it is a false host. Small parasites hide in the cells of the infected organism and can thus no longer be reached by the immune defense system. An example of such a parasitic infestation are erythrocytes produced by plasmodia.The parasites are highly adaptable and develop various strategies to outwit their host’s defense mechanisms. They change surface structure as soon as the host activates its immune defenses. They shed their skin and form a new skin. This changed appearance is not recognized by the antibodies for the time being, since new ones have to be produced to react to the changed parasitic starting position. The current antibodies respond only to the already shed skin and proteins on the surface.
Diagnosis and examination methods
If a parasite resides in the organism of its host for a lifetime, it creates various mechanisms to avoid being recognized as a foreign body by antigens. To achieve this goal, it surrounds itself with the antigens of its host. A good example of this is infestation by trypanosomes. A large number of the uninvited guests have developed an exceedingly thick cuticle (epidermis) that is not recognized by the host’s antibodies. There are various parasites, which are divided into three groups: Protozoa are sporulated animals such as sporozoa, taxoplasmas, plasmodia, amoebae, trichomonads, leishmania, and trypanosomes. Helminths are tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms. Arthropods (arthropods) appear as lice, ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas. Parasitology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of parasitically transmitted infectious diseases. Parasitologists perform microbiological testing of swabs, body fluids, and tissue samples. Samples are collected in appropriate quantities prior to therapeutic procedures. The collection site is cleaned prior to performance to prevent contamination and contamination of the material. The samples are then transferred to sterile transport containers (blood culture bottles, tubes). Physicians use appropriate collection and transport equipment (adhesive strip swabs, swabs, syringes, swab cutlery) to protect the pathogens from drying out, overgrowth, and death. Specimens are identified by an accompanying bill that includes collection time, collection site, preliminary diagnosis, therapeutic approaches, and question. A short time window of two to three hours is available for specimen transport. Otherwise, a 24-hour preservation period applies. Urine, stool and catheter syringes are stored in the refrigerator. Blood cultures, swabs, aspirates, ejaculates, lavages, tissues, and punctates are not susceptible even at room temperature. Helicobacter biopsies and CSF must be stored in an incubator. Suitable examination materials include skin flakes, skin capsule, epilated hair (dermatophytes), swabs from nose, tongue, tonsils and throat (upper respiratory tract), bronchial secretions, sputum (deep respiratory tract), Bladder punctate, catheter urine, midstream urine (urinary tract), blood cultures, cerebrospinal fluid (sepsis), bioptate, expressate (genitourinary tract), stool specimens, parasite parts (parasitic, bacterial, viral intestinal infestation).
Typical and common diseases caused by parasites.
- Malaria
- Lice infestation (pediculosis)
- Pinworms
- Roundworms
- Tapeworm
- Trichomoniasis (trichomonad infection)
- Toxoplasmosis
