Neglected Tropical Diseases in ASEAN Countries

Parasitic Infections

• Represent more than 50% of neglected tropical diseases listed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Affect ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Helminths and Protozoans

• Common agents of infections affecting ASEAN countries.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Poverty

• Interconnected ideas that require utmost attention from health workers and government policy makers.

Laboratory Tests

• Essential for parasite diagnosis, requiring skills for proper processing and recognition.
• Misidentification of parasites can lead to serious consequences, affecting correct diagnosis.

Parasites, Parasitism, and Host Relations

• Organisms may exhibit different nutritional habits or obtain nutrients in multiple ways at different times.

Symbiosis

• Refers to the association of two different species for food and shelter.
• Different forms of symbiosis can be distinguished based on whether the association is detrimental to one of the two partners.

Types of Symbiosis

• Predation: one animal attacks and consumes another for nourishment.
• Scavenging: an animal derives nutrition from already dead animals.
• Commensalism: a beneficial association where one partner benefits and the other is not disadvantaged (e.g., Entamoeba coli living in the intestine).
• Mutualism: a specialized type of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.
• Parasitism: a symbiotic relationship where one animal (the parasite) lives at the expense of another (the host).

Medical Parasitology

• A branch of biology focused on animal parasites of humans and their medical significance and public impact.
• Covers phenomena of dependence among living organisms.

Parasitology

• The scientific study of parasites, an organism that depends on a host for shelter and nourishment.

Host

• Known as the organism that provides physical protection and nourishment to the parasite.
• Different types of hosts:
  • Definitive/Final Host: harbors the adult or sexually mature stage of the parasite (e.g., human definitive host for lymphatic filarial worms and trypanosomes).
  • Intermediate Host: harbors the larval stage or asexual forms of parasites (e.g., snail as an intermediate host for trematodes).
  • Vector: a blood-feeding arthropod that assists in the transfer of parasitic forms between hosts (e.g., mosquitoes, tsetse flies, sandflies, and triatomid bugs).
  • Mechanical Vector: a vector that assists in the transfer of parasitic forms between hosts but is not essential in the life cycle of the parasite (e.g., fly transferring amoebic cysts from infected feces to food/drink).