Introduction to Parasitology

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What is the primary reason for studying parasitology?

To identify the phylogenetic classification of parasites

To learn about the different types of parasitic infections

To understand the physical characteristics of parasites

To address the major public health problems caused by parasites (correct)

What is the estimated number of people affected by lymphatic filariasis, ascariasis, and hookworms?

1.5 billion, 1.3 billion, and 1 billion respectively (correct)

2.8 billion

500 million

1 billion

What is a common way that parasites are brought into the country?

Through poor hygiene practices

Through contaminated food and water

Through immigrants who bring their parasites with them (correct)

Through contact with infected animals

What is the definition of a parasite?

A living organism that acquires its basic requirements and derives all benefits through intimate contact with another organism Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the organism that harbors the parasite?

Host Signup and view all the answers

Why is there a low understanding of parasitic infections in the country?

Due to lack of education and awareness Signup and view all the answers

What is the host in which the adult stage of a parasite lives and where the sexual mode of reproduction takes place?

Definitive host Signup and view all the answers

Which type of host undergoes some development or asexual reproduction, but not sexual maturity?

Intermediate host Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a host that passes on the infection to another host?

Transport host Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a vertebrate host in which a parasite merely remains viable without development or multiplication?

Paratenic host Signup and view all the answers

Which parasite has humans as its paratenic host?

Toxocara cati Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the stage of the parasite that migrates through the viscera of the host?

Visceral larva migrans Signup and view all the answers

Which structure can be used to differentiate macrophages from amoebic trophozoites?

Nucleus Signup and view all the answers

What can be added to a wet preparation to stain the internal structure of a protozoan cyst?

Iodine Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following can be confused with helminth eggs in stool?

Pollen grains Signup and view all the answers

What can be used to differentiate trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica/dispar from white blood cells and macrophages?

Motility Signup and view all the answers

What can be mistaken for the larvae of hookworm or Strongyloides stercoralis in stool?

Plant hairs Signup and view all the answers

Why are macrophages only motile for a very short time?

Due to their large nucleus Signup and view all the answers

What can be confused with helminth larvae in a stool sample?

Plant cell Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of starch granules in an undigested state?

They stain blue with iodine Signup and view all the answers

What can be mistaken for the oocysts of Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora in acid-fast stained stool specimens?

Fungal elements Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of pathogenesis?

The cause and development of a disease, especially within cells Signup and view all the answers

What are Charcot-Leyden crystals composed of?

Eosinophil cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of starch granules in a partially digested state?

They stain red with iodine Signup and view all the answers

What is the mode of transmission of parasites from mother to fetus?

Through congenital transmission via placenta Signup and view all the answers

What is an autogenous infection?

An infection acquired from oneself Signup and view all the answers

What is a carrier of a disease?

A person who has the disease but shows no symptoms Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of natural immunity?

When a host has a physiological incompatibility with a parasite Signup and view all the answers

How do flies transmit parasites?

By laying eggs on wounds Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of an inanimate source of infection?

Soil Signup and view all the answers