Toxoplasmosis & Vectors

lyme disease

cutaneous systemic infection

Lyme disease organism

tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

symptoms of lyme disease

erythema migrans rash at site of tick bite, flulike symptoms, chronic fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep disturbance

can affect the skin, nervous system, heart, and joints

three stages of lyme disease

stage 1: rash, flulike symptoms, mild hepatits

stage 2: acute cardiac or neurologic symptoms

stage 3: arthritis and chronic neurologic disease

immunologic response to lyme disease

normal primary/secondary immune response mechanisms

how is lyme disease diagnosed

characteristic clinical findings, history of exposure, antibody response to B. burgdorferi

• antibody detection tests

• ELISA

• PCR

erlichiosis

tick-borne rickettsial infection

erlichiosis cause

species of Erlichia

symptoms of erlichiosis

nonspecific symptoms like fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia

hematologic, hepatic, and CNS involvment can be seen

how is erlichiosis diagnosed

based on seeing erlichea inclusions inside of WBCs

babesiosis

rare, severe, potentially fatal tick-borne disease caused by a species of microscopic parasite that infects RBCs

babesiosis cause

Babesia spp.

symptoms of babesiosis

high fever, fatigue, hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinemia, hemoglobinuria

what parasitic infection is often confused with babesiosis

the ring structures of Babesia are confused with the ring structures of malaria

how is babesiosis diagnosed

visualization of intraerythrocytic organisms in thick or thin blood films stained with Wrights stain

west nile virus

flavivirus that causes febrile illness and encephalitis in humans

WNV cause

mosquito-borne pathogen caused by a flavivirus

symptoms of WNV

fever, headache, fatigue, aches, sometimes rash

how is WNV diagnosed

molecular techniques

1. reverse transcription

2. PCR

3. nucleic amplification tests

4. ELISA

toxoplasmosis

infection caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii

how is toxoplasmosis transmitted to humans

accidental ingestion of oocytes by humans and animals produces an infection

contamination of food/wwater, soiled hands, inadequately cooked/infected meat, raw milk

definitive host of toxoplasmosis

house cat → oocytes are present in their feces

symptoms of toxoplasmosis

chills, fever, headached, lymphadenopathy, extreme fatigue

symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis infection

CNS malformation or prenatal mortality

how is toxoplasmosis diagnosed

1. indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA)

2. ELISA

3. PCR