Protozoa

Question 1

What is one distinguishing feature between worms and protozoa in lab values?

Answer 1

Protozoa do NOT cause eosinophilia like worms do (helminths!)

Question 2

What are the symptoms of giardia?

Answer 2

foul stools and steatorrhea, weight loss

Question 3

Does chlorination kill giardia?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

What form of giardia is responsible for causing disease?

Answer 4

The trophozoites. Ingestion of cysts–>trohpozoites

Question 5

What is the diagnostic stage of giardia?

Answer 5

Trophozoites can be seen in the stool. They look like kites!

Question 6

What is the disease course of giardia?

Answer 6

Usually self limited

Question 7

In what scenarios can giardia become chronic?

Answer 7

IgA deficiency.

Question 8

How do you treat giardia?

Answer 8

Metronidazole

Question 9

How do you get crypto?

Answer 9

By drinking fecally contaminated water

Question 10

How does crypto present?

Answer 10

Excretory, watery diarrhea

Question 11

What is the infectious form of crypto?

Answer 11

cysts from feces

Question 12

Where does crypto live inside the host

Answer 12

intracellularly– columnar epithelial cells

Question 13

How do you dx crypto?

Answer 13

ACID FAST CYST–can also use immunofluorescence

Question 14

How do you treat crypto?

Answer 14

Usually self limited. There’s no good drug!

–Nitazoxanide is an option

Question 15

What stages does trichomonas vaginalis have?

Answer 15

It’s a protozoa that only has ONE stage–the trophozoite!

Question 16

What is the presentation of trichomonas?

Answer 16

1. FROTHY green purulent discharge
2. Urethritis
3. Prostatitis/infertility
   - -ASYMPTOMATIC, but can increase HIV acquisition

Question 17

How do you treat trichomonas?

Answer 17

metronidazole

Question 18

How do you diagnose trichomonas?

Answer 18

Microscopy wet prep

• pap stain
• -Rapid EIA (molecular assay)

Question 19

How can you get toxoplasma?

Answer 19

Cat litter (fecal cyst), uncooked meat (tissue cyst)

Question 20

How does toxoplasma present? In AIDS?

Answer 20

mono, hepatitis, pneumonia, encephalitis (AIDS)

Question 21

What does congenital toxo look like?

Answer 21

CNS and retinal disease/Fetal death!

Question 22

How do you treat toxo?

Answer 22

pyrimethamine-sulfadiazine

Question 23

How do you diagnose toxo?

Answer 23

SEROLOGICS. IgG tells you pt has been infected in the past. IgM tells you how recently.

Question 24

In which populations do we worry about oxo?

Answer 24

Pregnant women and AIDS pts.