Questions and Answers
What type of parasite lives on the body surface of the host without penetrating the tissue?
What is the term often employed for parasitization with ectoparasites?
What type of parasite can exist without a host?
What type of parasite infects an unusual host?
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What is an example of a free-living parasite?
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What type of parasite infects a host where they cannot develop further?
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Study Notes
Classification of Parasites
- Ectoparasites inhabit only the body surface of the host without penetrating the tissue, examples: lice, ticks, and mites.
- The term infestation is often employed for parasitization with ectoparasites.
Endoparasites
- Live within the body of the host and cause an infection.
- Most protozoan and helminthic parasites causing human disease are endoparasites.
Free-Living Parasites
- Refers to non-parasitic stages of active existence, living independent of the host, example: cystic stage of Naegleria fowleri.
Classification of Endoparasites
Obligate Parasites
- Cannot exist without a host, examples: Toxoplasma gondii and Plasmodium.
Facultative Parasites
- Can live as either parasitic or free-living forms, example: Naegleria fowleri.
Accidental Parasites
- Infect an unusual host, example: Echinococcus granulosus infecting humans, giving rise to hydatid cysts.
Aberrant Parasites
- Infect a host where they cannot develop further, example: Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) infecting humans.
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Description
Learn about the different types of parasites, including ectoparasites, endoparasites, and free-living parasites, and their characteristics.
