Diagnostic Parasitology

Flashcards covering essential vocabulary and definitions related to diagnostic parasitology.

Parasite

An organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food at the expense of its host.

Morbidity

A state of being diseased or unhealthy; the incidence of disease in a population.

Malaria

A blood infection caused by parasitic protozoans transmitted by mosquito bites.

Immunocompromised

A condition in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.

Endemic

A disease or condition regularly found and consistently present in a particular geographic area.

Cyst

A dormant, resistant stage of a parasite; typically formed for survival purposes.

Trophozoite

The active, feeding stage of a protozoan parasite.

Sedimentation Concentration

A technique for separating and concentrating parasitic forms from fecal matter by using solutions of lower specific gravity.

Flotation Concentration Method

A method that uses solutions with higher specific gravity than parasitic organisms to concentrate them for examination.

Amebiasis

An infection caused by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, leading to dysentery.

Trichrome Stain

A stain used in the microscopic examination of parasite specimens that highlights internal structures.

Trypanosomiasis

A disease caused by Trypanosoma parasites, transmitted by insect vectors, including sleeping sickness.

Chagas Disease

A disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, leading to severe cardiac and digestive issues.

Schistosomiasis

A disease caused by parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma.

Bacteriostatic

A substance that prevents the growth or reproduction of bacteria.

Giemsa Stain

A stain used in microscopy to stain blood smears, helpful for identifying malaria and other blood parasites.

Centrosome

An organelle that serves as the main microtubule-organizing center in cells.

Paragonimus westermani

A parasitic flatworm that causes lung fluke disease.

Balantidiasis

An intestinal infection caused by the parasite Balantidium coli.

Helminthiasis

An infection caused by helminths, or parasitic worms.

Microscopic Examination

The analysis of specimens using a microscope to identify and measure characteristics of organisms.