Parasites Quiz 1

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Questions and Answers

What is the typical size of an adult Acanthocephala?

20cm

15cm

10cm (correct)

25cm

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Acanthocephala?

Absorb nutrients from the host's digested gut contents

Possess a retractable proboscis with hooks for attachment

Lack a mouth and digestive system

Have a simple life cycle with a broad spectrum host (correct)

What is the relationship between Acanthocephala and rotifers?

Acanthocephala and rotifers are sister groups (correct)

Acanthocephala are a subphylum of rotifers

Acanthocephala and rotifers are not related

Acanthocephala are a type of freshwater zooplankton like rotifers

Where do adult Acanthocephala typically live?

In the small intestines Signup and view all the answers

What is the life stage of Acanthocephala that is ingested to cause infection?

Cystacanth Signup and view all the answers

What is the diagnosis method for Acanthocephala infection?

Finding eggs in the feces Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe an organism that benefits from another organism without causing harm or benefit to it?

Commensalism Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes an organism that lives within a host?

Endoparasite Signup and view all the answers

What is the abnormality described in the text regarding the life cycle of Acanthocephala found in mongoose and monkeys in St. Kitts?

The cystacanths were found in the wrong intermediate host Signup and view all the answers

What is the reason given in the text for the abnormal Acanthocephala life cycle observed in St. Kitts?

Neither the monkey nor mongoose hosts had natural predators Signup and view all the answers

What is the intermediate host in the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii?

Both birds and humans Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to the preferred site within or on the host that provides optimal food for the parasite?

Predilection Site Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Hypobiosis' refer to in parasitology?

State of arrested development waiting for optimal conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a Paratenic Host in a parasite's life cycle?

Used for transportation but not necessary for development Signup and view all the answers

'Leucochloridium paradoxum' is associated with which characteristic behavior in its life cycle?

'Zombie Snails' Signup and view all the answers

'Dirofilaria immitis' requires which organism as an Intermediate Host in its life cycle?

'Mosquito' Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following host groups are known to be infected by Kudoa species?

Birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concern with Kudoa species in undercooked fish?

Kudoa species can cause gastrointestinal problems in humans Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary symptom of whirling disease caused by Myxobolus cerebralis in juvenile salmonids?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true about the host-parasite relationship between Myxobolus cerebralis and salmonids?

Both a and c Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between Proliferative Kidney Disease (PKD) and increased water temperatures in Iceland?

Both a and b Signup and view all the answers

What is the defining characteristic of the Multivalvulida group of Kudoa?

Both c and d Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a known host group for Kudoa species?

Insects Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary mode of transmission for Myxobolus cerebralis, the causative agent of whirling disease in salmonids?

Via live or frozen fish from Eurasia Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about vectors (ectoparasites) is correct?

Arachnids, such as ticks and mites, as well as insects like fleas (wingless flies), lice, and flies, can act as vectors. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of trematodes?

They have direct life cycles. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following pathogens is transmitted by deer ticks?

Anaplasma phagocytophilum Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about trematode eggs is correct?

They are operculate (have a cap/lid used for larva exit). Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of trematodes that relates to their zoonotic potential?

They can use predatory fish or birds as definitive hosts, allowing for potential transmission to humans if eaten undercooked. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about vectors (ectoparasites) is incorrect?

Fleas and mites are examples of insect vectors. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of trematodes mentioned in the text?

They have a broad host spectrum but almost always use gastropods (snails) as intermediate hosts. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a trematode mentioned in the text?

Fasciola hepatica Signup and view all the answers

What is the most likely reason for the presence of cystacanths in the mongoose and monkeys at St Kitts?

The animals were mistaken as the intermediate host but were dead end hosts. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true about the abnormality related to the cystacanth infection of mongoose and monkeys at St Kitts?

No adult stage of the parasite was found within either hosts despite both being vertebrates. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Myxozoa is incorrect?

All Myxozoa species are obligate parasites found exclusively in amphibian hosts. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the polar capsules in Myxozoa?

To help infect a new host. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about Myxozoa species is true?

Histozoic species are more likely to cause serious diseases in commercial fish species. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about the classification of Myxozoa is correct?

They were previously classified as protozoans but are now known to be parasitic jellyfish (Cnidaria). Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Parasites: General Info

Parasite: an organism that gets some or all of its food from the host, at the host's expense (only the parasite benefits)
Endoparasite: lives within the host
Ectoparasite: lives outside of the host
Parasites can use the host for food, water, habitat, heat, transmission (and anything to help them survive)

Vectors (Ectoparasites)

Fleas, ticks, lice, flies, and mosquitoes are examples of vectors that transmit pathogens
Fleas and ticks carry pathogens in their salivary glands, transmitted through bites
Examples of vector-borne diseases:
- Ticks transmit Ehrlichia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum
- Mosquitoes transmit heartworms (parasitic roundworms)

Trematode: General Info

AKA: Digeneans, Digenean flukes, Aspidogastrea
Endoparasites within Phylum Platyhelminthes
Characterized by:
- Oral and ventral suckers
- Dorsoventrally flattened (leaf-like) body shape
- Lack an anus and use flame cells for waste removal
- Hermaphroditic, but can cross-reproduce
- No direct life cycle
- Broad host spectrum
- Almost always use gastropods (snails) as intermediate hosts
Heavy eggs require sedimentation for diagnosis
Definitive host (DH) is typically a predatory fish or sometimes birds, and can be zoonotic if metacercaria is eaten from the environment

Trematode: Examples

Fasciola hepatica (common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke)
- Infects mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and some fish
Myxobolus cerebralis (whirling disease)
- Destroys cartilage in spinal column and cranium within juvenile salmonids, leading to death or lifelong deformity
- Spreads via live or frozen fish from Eurasia
Kudoa (histozoic myxosporean)
- Infects marine fish skeletal muscle or organs
- Can cause gastrointestinal problems in humans if eaten in undercooked fish

Acanthocephala Phylum: General Info

AKA: Thorny headed worms
Lack mouth and digestive system, absorbing nutrients from the host's digested gut contents via their integument (skin)
Size: up to 10cm
Sister group to rotifers (freshwater zooplankton)
Intermediate hosts (IH) are always invertebrates
Adults live in the digestive tract (small intestines) and are not typically pathogenic
Always have a complex life cycle and broad spectrum hosts
Diagnosis: eggs in feces (sometimes sub-clinical)

Acanthocephala Phylum: Examples

Found encysted within the muscle of mongoose and scrotum of monkeys
Abnormalities:
- Cystacanths are only in the IH to await transmission to the DH
- IH are always invertebrates, but in this case, they were found in mongoose and monkeys

Epibiosis (Phoresis)

Two organisms that are nutritionally independent of each other have a facultative relationship
Epibiont: smaller organism using another for transport
Basibiont: larger organism that carries the epibiont
Example: stalked ciliate using copepod for transport

Commensalism

Small symbiont eats for/benefits from larger symbiont, which is neither harmed nor benefited
Example: flagellate eating unwanted bacteria off of fish

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Description

Trematodes, Acanthocephala, Cnidaria (Myxozoa) Parasitology terminology