Human Parasites Exam Review Flashcards

Flashcards are designed to help students review and remember key concepts related to human parasites and their biological aspects.

Beaver fever

A disease caused by Giardia intestinalis.

Brain-eating amoeba

Also known as Naegleria fowleri, this amoeba can cause severe brain infections.

Katayama fever

A disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum.

Cyst stage

A dormant stage in some parasites' life cycles; not present in Trichomonas vaginalis and Entamoeba gingivalis.

Balantidium coli

The only ciliate that causes human diseases.

Schistosoma hematobium

A parasite that can cause blood in urine when contracted.

Non-viral STD

Sexually transmitted disease caused by Trichomonas vaginalis.

Pathogenic species

Entamoeba dispar is considered non-pathogenic compared to Entamoeba histolytica.

Toxoplasma

Presence of dense granules and conoid, distinct from Plasmodium.

Hydrogenosome

An organelle found in Trichomonas, involved in metabolism.

Erythrocytic cycle

The life cycle stage of Plasmodium that occurs in blood; includes Plasmodium species.

Stramenophile

A group to which Blastocystis belongs, causing human disease.

Largest parasitic protozoan

Balantidium is identified as the largest parasitic protozoan in humans.

Maltese cross

Morphological identifier for Babesia, representing two pairs of organisms.

Platyhelminthes sperm

Possesses 2 flagella in a 9+2 arrangement.

Contractile vacuole

Found in Balantidium and involved in osmoregulation.

Cryptosporidium genome

Does not have a mitochondrial genome.

Contaminated produce

Cyclospora is likely responsible for diarrhea from contaminated salad or fruit.

Tick-borne

Babesia is carried by ticks.

Caste system in trematodes

Observed in the redia stage of trematode development.

Female Anopheles mosquito

Transmits Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria.

Toxoplasma behavioral change

Causes infected rats to lose fear of cats.

Linoleic acid role

Essential for reproduction in Toxoplasma.

Balantidium nuclear dimorphism

Macronucleus contains essential genes while micronucleus contains germline genes.

Bradyzoite

The slow-growing form found in Toxoplasma species.

Anti-malaria drug

Artemisinin developed from a Chinese herb.

Largest protozoan genome

Trichomonas vaginalis has the largest genome among parasitic protozoa.

Male schistosome chromosomes

The male schistosome has XY sex chromosomes.

Kelch 13 gene mutation

Targets artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum for drug resistance.

Dormant malaria stage

Hypnozoite is the dormant form treated with primaquine.

Most virulent Plasmodium species

Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent causing malaria.

Adult somatic stem cells

Neoblasts in Schistosoma mansoni can survive for decades.

Fatal attraction phenomenon

Toxoplasma causes infected rat behavior changes to attract cats.

Sickle cell anemia mutation

Provides protection against Plasmodium falciparum.

Intracellular protozoan

Cryptosporidium lives in intestinal epithelial cells.

Successful protozoan

Toxoplasma is widely distributed and can infect multiple cell types.

Trematode lifecycle progression

Proper sequence is egg to miracidium to sporocyst to redia to cercaria to metacercaria to juvenile to adult.

Voltage gated calcium channels

Praziquantel targets these channels in schistosomes.

Small genome protozoan

Trichomonas vaginalis has the smallest genome among listed protozoa.

Internal biological clock

Cryptosporidium parvum exhibits asexual cycles followed by a sexual cycle.

Mitosome location

Found in Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia.

Antigenic variation strategy

Used by Giardia lamblia through RNA interference techniques.

Patient with dysentery medication

Metronidazole is commonly used for treating intestinal parasitic infections.

Codon made by polyadenylation

UAA is produced by polyadenylation process.

Discovery of schistosome

Theodor Bilharz described the schistosome in Egypt.

Mosquito vector for Plasmodium

Ronald Ross discovered the Anopheles mosquito as the Plasmodium vector.

Largest nuclear diameter in malaria stage

Schizont stage of Plasmodium falciparum exhibits the largest nuclear diameter.