INTRODUCTION TO

PARASITOLOGY
AND ENTEROBIASIS
Arnav bhasin
Roll no. -14
 Medical parasitology is the study of the parasites which cause disease in man.
 Poor hygiene, warm climate, poor sanitation and nonavailability of safe water encourage the parasitic infection and
provid predisposing factors.
 A parasite is an organism which takes it nourishment from another host without giving anything in return.
 The parasites include protozoa and helminths.
 The host is the organism which harbours the parasite.
 The parasite does take nourishment and other benefits from host.
TAXONOMY AND
CLASSIFICATION
 The science of classification of living forms is called taxonomy.
 In 1969 five kingdom system o classificationn was suggested by Whittakar. It
remains the widely accepted system of classification which comprises of
following five kingdom.
a. Monera (prokaryote; unicellular)
b. Protista (eukaryote; unicellular)
c. Fungi (eukaryote; uni or multicellular)
d. Plantae (eukaryote; multicellular)
e. Animalia (eukaryote; multicellular).
HISTORY IN BRIEF
 The first discovery of parasite in the blood of a patient suffering from malaria
was made in 1880 by Alphonso Laveran. Stains prepared and used by
Romanowsky revolutionized th study of parasites.

History of protozoa:
- Protozoa were referred to as animacules in1764, the term infusoria was
suggested by Wrisberg in 1836, Alfred Donne suggested that flagellate was
responsible for vaginal discharge in women. This flagellate was named
trichamonas.
History of Helminths:
Helminths were discovered in various organs of body, e.g. Trichinella larval form from muscles of infected
man,paragonimus from Bengal tiger in 1878 in a Zoo of Amsterdam, wuchereria in the form of larva
(microfilaria) in hydrocele fluid by Lewis in Calcutta in 1872.
 PARASITE
 A living organism which gets nourishment from another living organism where it lives is called parasite.
 They may be:

1. When a parasite lives in its host like tapeworm, malarial parasite ,Entamoeba histolytica,Ascaris
lumbricoides, etc.it is known as endoparasite.

2. When a parasite lives on its host like a body louse,lice,ticks,mites etc,it is known as ectoparasite.

3. Obligate parasite (who must spend some part of their life cycle in or on host, e.g. plasmodium).
4. Facultative parasite (may be free living but can obtain the nutrition from hosts too).e.g. chigger mite larvae etc

5. Accidental parasite (when parasite attack unnatural host) e.g.Dog roundworm etc.

6. Aberrant parasite (when the parasite come to a site, during migration where it cannot live or develop further).
E.g. Toxocara Canis in man etc.
 HOST
 An organism which harbors the parasite. Host may be of following types:

1. Definitive host (when it harbors parasite in adult form or where parasite utilizes sexual method of
reproduction). e.g.- man is the definitive host of Taenia solium, but the parasite is the definitive host of the
malarial parasite.
2. Intermediate host (harbor’s larval stages o parasite). pig is the intermediate host of Taenia solium and man is
the intermediat host of malarial parasite.
3. Paratenic host (when host harbors parasite exhibiting no development but this parasite remains viable.This
type of host may serve to pass on the infection to another host and so may be called transport host.
4. Reservoir host(which make parasites available for transmission to other hosts).e.g. the rabies virus normally Is
passed back and forth among wild mammals.
5. Natural host (which is naturally infected with certain species of parasite).
6. Accidental host (which is by and large under normal circumstances not infected with parasite).
 ASSOCIATION OF PARASITE AND HOST:
1. Symbiosis is an association in which both are so dependent upon each other that one cannot live without the help
of other and none of the partners suffer any harm from the association.
2. Commensalism is an association in which parasite is deriving benefit without causing injury to its host, e.g.
Entamoeba gingivalis, Trichomonas tenax, etc. It is a form of symbiosis.

3. Mutalism is an association where para-site and host both are benefitted. It is another form of symbiosis.
 Parasitism is an association where parasite gets benefit and the host get nothing in return but always suffer some
injury, however, minimal the injury may be.
MECHANISMS OF DISEASE PRODUCTION BY
PARASITES
*The Effect of Parasites on their Host*
-The damage which pathogenic parasites produce in the tissue of the host may be effected in any of the following
ways:
1. Mechanical Injury
-It may be inflicted by a parasite by means of pressure as it grows larger e.g. Ascaris lumbricoides and destruction of
architecture of the human red blood cells by Plasmodium falciparum.
2. Deleterious Action of Toxic Substances
-In Plasmodium falciparum, production of toxic substances may cause rigors and other symptoms characteristic of
clinical malaria.
-In entamoeba histolytica lesions in human gut may be due to the production of histolytic enzyme(tissue dissolving)
3. Deprivation of Nutrients,Fluids and Metabolite
-Parasites may produce disease by competing with the host for food.
- e.g. Diphylobothrium latum (fish tapeworm) is known to deprive its host of vitamin B12 thus causing megaloblastic
anemia
4. Introduction of Pathogenic Microorganisms
-Bacterial infection of lesions produced initially by a parasite may occur and in some cases may prove lethal.
-e.g. tetanus is a well-known complication of Dracunculus medinensis infection.
-This is the result of the spores of Clostridium tetani contaminating the ulcers of the foot and digit, produced by
Dracunculus medinensis
REACTION OF THE HOST TO PARASITE:
 The reaction of host to the presence of the parasite, its developmental stages or the products of its metabolism
may produce two types of host reaction, i.e. (a) tissue reaction,(b) immunological response.
a) Tissue Reactions
-Excessive proliferation of certain tissues following invasion by some parasites is known to occur in man.
-e.g. fibrosis (cirrhosis) of liver following deposition of the ova of Schistosoma mansoni, hepatic fibrosis and
hyperplasia of biliary tract due to the infection of Clonorchis sinensis and Fasciola hepatica, etc.
b) Immunological Response
-Tissue damage may be caused by immunological response of the host.
-e.g. nephrotic syndrome (Plasmodium malariae) and cercarial dermatitis due to penetration of human skin by
schistosome (cercarie).
ENTEROBIASIS
 Enterobiasis (pinworm infection) is caused by small,thin ,white round worms known asEnterobius vermicularis.
 Geographical Distribution : It is cosmopolitan.

 Habitat: Adult worm (female resides in cecum and appendix of man).

 Morphology: The male adult worm is 5 mm × 0.5 mm in diameter while female measures 8 to 12 mm × 0.3 to 0.5
mm.
-The posterior end of female is sharp and pointed while it is curved in males.
-Eggs are colorless, planoconvex, 50 to 60 µ × 30 µ, surrounded by transparent shell and contains coiled tadpole-like
larvae.
LIFE CYCLE:
 Pathogenesis and Clinical Picture: The movement of adult worm (female) at the time of laying eggs causes intense
itching inducing the patient to scratch the aaffected area(anal canal and perianal skin).
-The scratched area may become eczematoid.

 Laboratory Diagnosis:

• Detection of adult worm in the stools.

• Demonstration of eggs in stool and finger nails, perianal skin scraping and washing from underwear.

 Treatment: Piperazine.