Protozoa
Protozoan parasites are single-cell organisms that have adapted to live in the tissues and cells of other organisms (like us) - Michael Ruscio DNM DC
image by: Medical Laboratory Scientist - MLS
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Protozoa
There are a number of protozoa that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Most of these are harmless or cause only mild problems, but others cause serious disease. Many of the protozoa that infect humans are transmitted via the fecal-oral route, but others are transmitted via insect vectors (e.g., malaria and leishmaniasis), and trichomonas vaginalis is a sexually transmitted disease.
Some have fairly complex life cycles that may include a cyst stage that enable the organism to remain dormant in the environment for a period of time until a new host is acquired (e.g., malaria).
Resources
Common protozoans as an uncommon cause of respiratory ailments in HIV-associated immunodeficiency
Although most parasites that affect the respiratory system are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions, globalization and frequent travel practices have resulted in the increased rate of disease spread.
Enteric Protozoa in the Developed World: a Public Health Perspective
In many developed countries, only a few or no parasitic protozoa are included in operational surveillance systems, as the major focus is on bacterial and viral infections. Where these systems exist, they are used mainly as indicators for identifying outbreaks of food-borne and waterborne diseases and in institutional settings...
Immunology and Infection by Protozoan Parasites
Protozoan infection is the cause of diseases of high morbidity and mortality. Most are non-self-limiting chronic infections and neglected diseases; emergent antimicrobial-resistant strains pose a substantial problem; for many of them treatment either is highly toxic or has limited effectiveness. Vaccine development is still a formidable task and there is no licensed vaccine for human protozoan infection.
Protozoa Infections Are America's Secret Disease
Still the medical profession remains cavalier about these diseases - amebiasis and giardiasis - probably because their laboratories fail to identify the microscopic protozoa, and the news media ignore these infections, probably because of their scatological nature.
Protozoa: Structure, Classification, Growth, and Development
Protozoa are one-celled animals found worldwide in most habitats. Most species are free living, but all higher animals are infected with one or more species of protozoa. Infections range from asymptomatic to life threatening, depending on the species and strain of the parasite and the resistance of the host.
Protozoan Diseases - An Overview on Protozoal Infections
Protozoans are eukaryotic, unicellular, heterotrophic organisms that can be either parasites or free-living. They exhibit an enormous range of morphologies and lack cell walls, for example, Entamoeba, Plasmodium, Paramecium, etc. Protozoa are not easily defined as they are diverse and often only distantly related to each other. Because of their extreme diversity, the only feature common to all protozoans is that they are unicellular eukaryotic organisms. Thus they have eukaryotic membrane-bound cell organelles that can exhibit various tasks.
Protozoan Parasites: What They Mean and How to Treat Them
Protozoan parasites are single-cell organisms that have adapted to live in the tissues and cells of other organisms (like us). (Other types of protozoa are free-living; these are not considered parasites). As part of their lifecycles, some parasitic protozoa like Giardia can live in harsh environments as hardy cysts that can even survive in cold water for months.
Protozoa
Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotes that ingest food (algae and bacteria) by phagocytosis and generally move via pseudopods (flowing extensions of the plasma membrane) or whip-like flagella. Most are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but can easily be found under a microscope. Protozoa reproduce by fission.
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