A summary of the main protozoan parasites of animals and humans, including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Amoebae and others, categorised taxonomically, with detail on their life history and clinical significance
- Includes the following taxa:
o Plasmodium (responsible for malaria) and Cryptosporidium
o Gregarines – parasites of marine, freshwater and terrestrial animals (Ascidians) –
invertebrates
o Coccidia – Toxoplasma gondi (causative agent of toxoplasmosis)
- Possess apicoplasts – modified plastid from red algae (note contains separate DNA as a residual
chloroplast)
- Also possess micronemes – found at the apical end of the cell, they help to attach to and penetrate
host cells.
Reproduction
- Multiple fission – sexual and asexual
- The apical complex is the first part of the daughter cell to form, originating from the nucleus.
- Several rounds of mitosis without cytokinesis followed by multiple cleavage resulting in
simultaneous production of a set of progeny cells.
Plasmodium falciparum
- Vector is the mosquito of the genus Anopheles.
- Transfer to human hosts occurs by blood.
- Reproduction occurs inside the erythrocytes, resulting in haemolysis.
- Reproduction is asexual in humans and sexual in mosquitoes.
Gregarines
- These are parasitic exclusively of invertebrates.
- Widespread in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
- There is little tissue damage in infection, as development takes place almost entirely outside of host
cells.
- Gregarines are approximately 500µm in length.
Coccidia
- Coccidia are parasites of tissues, whose alternative hosts include dogs, chickens etc.
- Mainly intracellular parasites, they affect the intestinal area.
Toxoplasma gondi
- These are obligate intracellular parasites which are the causative agent of toxoplasmosis.
- Reproducing only in cats and other felines, they infect many other animals and humans in close
proximity as secondary hosts, spread by food, water, unwashed vegetables, contaminated surfaces,
tools, etc.
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