Protozoan Infections and Diagnosis Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What is a primary mode of infection for Entamoeba histolytica?

Direct skin contact

Inhalation of spores

Contaminated food or water (correct)

Blood transfusion

Which of the following describes a characteristic of the life cycle of Balantidium coli?

It involves both cystic and trophozoite stages. (correct)

It is completed entirely in the environment without hosts.

It includes a definitive host that is strictly terrestrial.

It can only reproduce asexually.

What is a common clinical manifestation associated with Entamoeba histolytica infection?

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Bloody diarrhea (correct)

Severe respiratory distress

Skin rash and lesions

What is the primary method of diagnosing an infection caused by Balantidium coli?

Stool examination Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an important factor in the prevention and control of Entamoeba histolytica infections?

Improving sanitation and hygiene Signup and view all the answers

What clinical symptoms are associated with pulmonary amebiasis?

Fever and dyspnea Signup and view all the answers

What medication is prescribed to asymptomatic patients?

Diluxanide furoate Signup and view all the answers

What type of stool examination is used for diagnosing trophozoites in a patient with diarrhea?

Direct stool examination Signup and view all the answers

For symptomatic patients, which treatment sequence is followed?

Metronidazole followed by Diluxanide furoate Signup and view all the answers

Which additional diagnostic method can be used to visualize amebic ulcers?

Sigmoidoscopy Signup and view all the answers

What is identified in formed stool in the context of amebic infections?

Cysts Signup and view all the answers

Which type of amoebicide is used for symptomatic patients?

Tissue amoebicide Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true regarding treatments for amoebic infections?

Asymptomatic patients receive luminal amoebicide Diluxanide furoate. Signup and view all the answers

Which serological test methods are useful for the diagnosis of amebiasis?

Copro-antigen detection and antibodies detection Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of Diluxanide furoate in the treatment regimen?

It is a luminal amoebicide given after Metronidazole. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary method of infection for Balantidium coli?

Ingestion of cysts Signup and view all the answers

Which organisms serve as reservoir hosts for Balantidium coli?

Pigs Signup and view all the answers

In which part of the human body does Balantidium coli primarily inhabit?

Large intestine Signup and view all the answers

What form of Balantidium coli is considered the infective stage?

Cyst Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary geographical distribution of Balantidium coli?

Cosmopolitan, warm climates Signup and view all the answers

What type of crystals are commonly associated with dysentery in the presence of amoebae trophozoites?

Charcot Leyden crystals Signup and view all the answers

Which symptom is characteristic of typical bacillary dysentery?

Severe fever with acute onset Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of the stool typically observed in a case of bacillary dysentery?

Scanty and alkaline with massive exudate Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT usually found in laboratory findings for dysentery?

Normal crystal formation Signup and view all the answers

What does the presence of amoebae trophozoites indicate in stool analysis?

Amoebic dysentery Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential complication of dysentery?

Haemorrhage Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT typically associated with a diagnosis of dysentery?

Blood tests for anemia Signup and view all the answers

What symptom might indicate a secondary bacterial infection in dysentery patients?

Increased abdominal pain Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a serious complication that can arise from dysentery?

Perforation Signup and view all the answers

Which complication of dysentery can lead to infection of the abdominal cavity?

Peritonitis Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Entamoeba histolytica

An ameboid pathogenic intestinal protozoan parasite
Causes amoebiasis
Cosmopolitan, warm climate
Trophozoite and cyst forms
Ingested via contaminated food or water, flies, or faeco-oral route
Cysts are the infective stage, multiply via binary fission
Habitat: caecum and sigmoid-rectal region
Pathogenesis depends on parasite virulence, host resistance, and intestinal tract condition
Non-pathogenic in the lumen, pathogenic when trophozoites invade intestinal mucosa
Attachment to epithelial cells, leading to inflammation and hyperaemia
Histolytic enzyme causes necrosis, forming flask-shaped ulcers
Potential extra-intestinal invasion to brain, liver, lungs, or skin, causing abscesses
Clinical presentations range from asymptomatic (cyst passers) to acute or chronic intestinal or extra-intestinal amebiasis
Clinical picture can include fever, abdominal cramps, tenderness, anorexia, chronic fatigue, painful spasms of the anal sphincter, tenesmus, and passage of blood/mucus in stool
Extraintestinal amebiasis is rarer, presenting with hepatic amebiasis (tenderness, enlargement, fever, abscesses), pulmonary amebiasis (dyspnea, cough, sputum), brain, pericardium, or skin abscesses

Diagnosis

Clinical examination: assess symptoms and organ involvement
Laboratory:
- Direct stool examination (trophozoites in diarrhoeic stools, cysts in formed stools)
- Serological tests (Copro-antigen detection, antibody detection)
- Sigmoidoscopy for visualization, scraping, aspiration, or biopsy
- Molecular techniques for detecting DNA
- Radiological examination (barium enema)
Extraintestinal diagnosis involves aspirating contents from lung or liver abscesses, Liver & Lung scanning, serology, and observing leucocytosis.

Treatment

Tissue amoebicides (metronidazole, tinidazole) are very effective in killing amoebas in tissues, blood, and liver abscesses
Luminal amoebicides (diluxanide furoate) kill trophozoites and cysts in the gut lumen
Asymptomatic patients receive luminal amoebicides
Symptomatic patients receive tissue amoebicides followed by luminal amoebicides
Amoebic abscesses treatment: aspiration or open surgical drainage

Epidemiology

Cyst passers are primary infection sources
Cysts in faeces are viable for several days in water for longer periods
Cysts are killed with dryness, heat (above 55°C) or chlorine

Prevention and Control

Treatment of patients
Examination and treatment of food handlers
Environmental sanitation
Personal prophylaxis
Human faeces should not be used as fertilizer

Balantidium coli

Ciliated pathogenic intestinal protozoan parasite
Causes balantidiasis
Cosmopolitan warm climate
Reservoir hosts: pigs
Ingested via contaminated food, water, or via flies
Cysts are the infective stage, multiply via transverse binary fission

Balantidium coli: Pathogenesis and Clinical Picture

Trophozoites attach to the large intestine mucosa, causing inflammation
Secretion of hyaluronidase; ciliary invasion
Resultant necrosis of the mucosa leads to flask-shaped ulcers and secondary bacterial infections, causing dysentery
Complications include haemorrhage, perforation, peritonitis, and appendicitis

Balantidium coli: Diagnosis

Stool examination multiple times to identify cysts in formed stool, trophozoites in diarrhoeic stool
Treatment with metronidazole or oxytetracycline

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Description

Test your knowledge on Entamoeba histolytica and Balantidium coli infections. This quiz covers modes of infection, clinical manifestations, treatment methods, and diagnostic techniques related to these protozoan diseases. Perfect for students studying microbiology or infectious diseases.