Apicomleaxa

Question 1

Basics of phylum apicomplexa

Answer 1

All protozoa within the group are obligate parasites, all have an apical complex

Question 2

What structures make up the apical complex?

Answer 2

Polar rings (at the anterior tip), conoid (fibers within ring), Rhoptries (release enzymes), Micronemes (smaller than Rh but also release enzymes)

Question 3

What are the three key stages of the apicomplexan life cycle?

Answer 3

Sporozoite (infectious stage formed during sporogony of 2n zygotes)

Merozoite (daughter cell from schizogony from asexual reproduction so 1n)

Gamonts (1n committed to undergo gamogony)

Question 4

What structure is used to penetrate other cells?

Answer 4

apical complex

Question 5

Make sure to draw out life cycle triangle

Answer 5

DRAW IT BITCH

Question 6

Monocystis lumbrici

Answer 6

Lives in seminal vesicle of earthworms
Lives in dirt

Worm must eat an oocyst with sporocysts, they will migrate to the seminal vesicles. Oocysts are shed from the genital pore into the soil

Question 7

Hepatozoon catesbianae

Answer 7

Parasite of bullfrogs (Rana catesbiana)
intermediate host: mosquitoes from genus Culex

gamonts are in frog RBC and are picked up by a feeding mosquito, gamonts move to hemolymph and malpighian tubules, zygotes forms in tubules, frog eats mosquito and parasite infects frog beginning in hepatic cells

Question 8

Cryptosporidium

Answer 8

Causes Cryptosporidiosis (aka crypto).
Cryptosporidum parvum is a common cause.
Caused the major outbreak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1993, that affected 400,000 people.
Spreads contaminated through water

Question 9

Cyclospora

Answer 9

Causes Cyclosporosis
Can be foodborne

Question 10

Isospora

Answer 10

causes Isosporosis
Primiarily parasite of birds
Isospora belli infects humans
Likes tropical and subtropical areas, but cosmopolitan

Question 11

Eimeria

Answer 11

Fowl disease, common in chickens
Major player in chicken loses for farmers
Causes Coccidiosis
Requires prophylactic treatment

Question 12

Toxoplasma gondii

Answer 12

Def host: Cats
Infects most most blooded animals
Change cat litter regularly
Cosmopolitan with 16-40% infection rate
Harmful for fetuses in pregnant people > congenital toxoplasmosis
Increases risk taking behavior
Transplacental infections

Question 13

Neospora caninum

Answer 13

Causes Neosporosis
Hosts: dogs and cows
Transplacental infections

Question 14

Plasmodium vivax

Answer 14

Causes malaria in the Americas, cosmopolitan
Tertian
Hypnozoite
Anopheles mosquito vector

Question 15

Plasmodium ovale

Answer 15

Causes malaria in W Africa, patchy
Tertian
Hypnozoite
Anopheles mosquito vector

Question 16

Plasmodium falciparum

Answer 16

Causes malaria in Africa, SE Asia, E Mediterranean and W pacific, cosmopolitan
Tertian or irregular
Most dangerous and most common
Anopheles mosquito vector

Question 17

Plasmodium malariae

Answer 17

Causes malaria, cosmopolitan but patchy
Quartan
hypnozoite
Anopheles mosquito vector

Question 18

What plant can be used to treat Malaria?

Answer 18

Quinine, aka fever bark, which is a tree found in South America

Question 19

How does Quinine affect Plasmodium sp.?

Answer 19

It acts as a blood schizonticide and has some gametocytocidal activity against P. vivax and P. malariae. It inhibits heme polymerase which allows an accumulation of the cytotoxic substrate, heme.

Question 20

How can Malaria affect a pregnant person?

Answer 20

If the pregnant person is exposed to malaria for the first time (or has not been exposed for the past 6months) during permanency… the pregnancy may go poorly causes very low birth weights or miscarriages.

Question 21

Babesia

Answer 21

vector: tick
causes: Babesiosis
can be misdiagnosed as malaria

Question 22

How do you treat cryptosporidiosis?

Answer 22

It is self limiting, replace fluids with electolites, if a person is immunocompremisied use Nitazoxanide.

Question 23

How do you treat cyclosporosis and Isosporosis?

Answer 23

A combo drug: trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole

sulfamethoxazole can cause severe reactions

Question 24

What does it mean for a parasite to be hypnozoite?

Answer 24

Hypnozoite means that dormant stages of the parasite can persist for several years and can cause relapses.

Question 25

What is used to treat Malaria?

Answer 25

Currently: Quinine
Previously: DDT as a preventive method to get rid of mosquitos but almost destroyed many birds of prey populations