Suyo, Frances Jewel Len S.

– MLS 2A

University of the Immaculate Conception

College of Medical and Biological Sciences
Parasitology Assignment No. 1
I. DEFINITION OF TERMS: Research for the definition of the following terms below.
Indicate your references.

1.) Medical Parasitology

- It is concerned primarily with the parasites that affect humans and their medical
significance, as well as their importance in human communities.

2.) Parasite
- Any organism that resides within or on an organism of a different species and benefits
by obtaining nutrients or for physical protection—typically at the host's expense.

3.) Host
- Any living organism from which a parasite obtains nourishment and protection.

4.) Parasitosis
- It is the condition of being infected or infested with an animal parasite.

5.) Exposure
- It is the process of inoculating/acquiring an infective agent.

6.) Infection
- It connotes the establishment of the infective agent in the host.

7.) Superinfection
- It is when an already infected individual is further infected with the same species
leading to a massive infection with a parasite.

8.) Hyper infection

- It is when an individual harboring parasite is reinfected with the same species of
parasite.

9.) Autoinfection
- It is when an infected individual becomes his/her own direct source of infection.

10.) Vectors
 - It is a living organism that spreads a contagious disease from an infected animal to a
person or another animal. Arthropods like mosquitoes, flies, and other insects are
often used as vectors.

11.) Epidemiology
- The study of infectious diseases and disease-causing agents at the community level is
known as epidemiology in the field of parasitology. It aims to define the disease's
prevalence, distribution patterns, and the underlying causes of these patterns.

12.) Cosmopolitan
- Species that has a wide geographic distribution, inhabits a specific habitat type
worldwide, or expands quickly and opportunistically.

13.) Pathogenesis
- It is defined as the origination and development of a disease.

14.) Protozoans
- Protozoans are minute, unicellular organisms that can either live freely or as
parasites. They can reproduce in humans, which helps them survive and makes it
possible for major illnesses to arise from a single organism.

15.) Nematodes
- Also known as roundworm, any worm of the phylum Nematoda. Nematodes are
among the most abundant animals on Earth.

16.) Cestodes
- Cestodes, or tapeworms, include multiple species of flat worms that can reside in the
human gastrointestinal tract.

17.) Trematodes
- Trematodes, are also called flukes, cause various clinical infections in humans. The
parasites are so named because of their conspicuous suckers, the organs of
attachment.

18.) Incubation Period

- This is the interval between parasite exposure and the appearance of clinical signs.

19.) Pre-patent period

- It is when the parasite has invaded the human host but has not yet caused pathological
changes that reveal its presence by causing symptoms.

20.) Diagnostic stage

 - The stage at which the parasite leaves the host, e.g., through excretion together with
the stool, urine, sputum, blood, CSF, or other human body secretions.

21.) Infective stage

- The stage of parasite at which it is capable of entering the host and continue
development within the host.

22.) Sub-clinical
- No outward signs or symptoms but the disease is identifiable with laboratory testing
or imaging.

23.) Arthropods
- These are engaged in almost every type of parasitic relationship, either as parasites
themselves or as hosts/vectors for other microbes (including viruses, bacteria,
protozoa, etc.). They often live on or inside the skin of their vertebrate hosts and are
ectoparasitic.

24.) Water-borne infection

- This refers to infections caused by pathogenic microbes or parasites spread via
contaminated water.

25.) Fecal-Oral Route

- Infection is initiated by ingestion of contaminated water or, less commonly, food.

26.) Tropical disease

- It includes all illnesses that are primarily found in tropical regions. All contagious
and noncontagious illnesses, hereditary abnormalities, etc. are included under this
term. In addition to noncommunicable diseases, a variety of diverse microbes,
parasites, animals, and arthropods are responsible for a significant burden of disease
in tropical countries.

27.) Infestation
- Infest conveys the idea of external attack upon something, very appropriate for
ectoparasites.

28.) Definitive host

- Also called the “primary” host. It is that host that harbors the sexual or the adult stage
of the life cycle of a parasite.

29.) Intermediate host

- Also called the “secondary” host. It is that host that harbors the asexual of the larval
stage of the life cycle of a parasite.
 30.) Carrier
- Harbors the parasite/pathogen without showing any signs or symptoms.

31.) Binary Fission

- Some parasitic, unicellular organisms undergo a multiple fission-like process to
produce numerous daughter cells from a single parent cell.

32.) Encystation
- The process in which an organism will form a cyst or becoming closed in a cyst
capsule.

33.) Excystation
- The stage in the life cycle of a parasite in which it escapes from a cyst (after being
swallowed by its host).

34.) Parasitism
- One organism, the parasite, lives in or on another organism, depending for its survival
at the expense of the host.

35.) Erratic Parasite

- These are parasites that migrate to organ which is not a usual habitat.

References:
Medical Parasitology in the Philippines 3rd Edition
www.efsa.europa.eu
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.treehugger.com
www.mechanobio.info
www.cdc.gov
www.britannica.com
www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com
www.emedicine.medscape.com
www.bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com
www.oxfordreference.com
www.cartercenter.org
www.biologyonline.com
www.study.com
www.parasite.org.au
www.sciencedirect.com
www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.journals.lww.com