Blood and Tissue Dwelling Protozoa

Disease

Parasite

Mean of
Human
Infection

Location of
Parasite in
Human

Clinical features

Laboratory Diagnosis

African
trypanosomiasis
(sleeping sickness)

Trypanosoma
Bite of infected
brucei gambiense, tsetse fly (Glussina)
T. b. rhudesiense
(flagellates)

Blood, lymphatic,
CNS (extracellular)

Winterbottoms sign,
fever, headache,
sleeping sickness
Increased IgM

Trypanosomes in blood, lymph,

CFS; culture, serologic tests

America
trypanosomiasis
(Chagas disease)

Trypanosoma
cruzi (flagellates)

Feces of infected
reduviid bug
(Traitor and others)
entering bite

Blood, (extracellular);
reticuloendothelial
system, heart, brain,
(intracellular)

Romaas sign, fever,

hepatosplenomegaly,
myocarditis,
meningoencephlitis

Trypanosomes in blood, culture,

xenodiagnosis, biopsy, serologic
tests

Cutaneous
leishmaniasis

Leishmania
tropica and others
(flagellates)

Bite of infected
sandfly
(Phlebotomus)

Skin (intracellular)

Skin ulcer (single or

multiple; self-healing to
incurable)

Parasites in smears and cultures

of ulcer aspirate, skin test,
serologic test

Visceral
leishmaniasis

Leishmania
donovani
complex
(flagellates)

Bite of infected
sandfly
(Phlebotomus)

Liver, spleen, lymph

nodes, bone marrow
(intracellular)

hepatosplenomegaly,
anemia, fever, weigh loss

Parasites in smears and cultures

of bone marrow, hamster
inoculation, serologic test

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma
gondii (sporozoa)

Ingestion of infected
meat or ocytes in
cat feces (congenital
infection)

Cells of
reticuloendothelial
system, lungs, eye,
brain (intracellular)

Lymphadenopathy, fever, Parasites in biopsy or fluids,

pneumonia, eye and
serologic test
brain damage

Tariq aziz

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