Human protozoan parasites, despite their microscopic size, are one of the most dangerous microorganisms that can cause serious diseases.
General information about representatives of protozoa
Kingdom Protozoa has a large number of representatives (about 15 thousand species), including many parasitic species in humans.
Another name for this kingdom, accepted in medicine and biology, is unicellular organisms.
These organisms consist of a cell of a certain shape, some can change it, the cell has organelles that maintain viability.Single-celled microorganisms have adapted locomotion using cilia, flagella, or pseudopods.
Due to their small size and structural features, protozoa can live even in the most protected tissues of the body.Parasites of the protozoan kingdom are the causative agents of diseases of varying severity, some of which can even lead to death.
Removal of protozoa is complicated by the fact that they can be covered with a protective shell (cyst) and wait for conditions unfavorable for their existence.
Classification of the simplest inhabitants of the human body
Protozoan parasites are divided into 4 classes, depending on the structure of the cell and way of life.
Table “Classes and representatives of protozoan parasites”
| class | Brief description | represent |
| rod | Cells are oval in shape, have flagella for movement, and move forward with strings, so they can penetrate deeply into the liquid environment.Flagellum colonies can reach up to 10 thousand individuals.Most species live in tropical and subtropical climates. | Leishmania, Giardia, Trichomonas, Trypanosoma. |
| Sardcodae (rhizopod) | Movements are performed with the help of prosthetics and have variable body shapes. | Amoebic dysentery |
| sporophyte | They get their name due to the presence of a spore stage during their development.Localized in tissues and cells, they can cause hepatitis or anemia. | Piroplasma, Babesia, Coccidia, Plasmodium falciparum. |
| chilli | Moves thanks to cilia, can live attached or swim freely | Balantidium |
Depending on the location of localization, protozoan parasites are divided into 2 types:
- endogenous (living in organs and internal systems);
- exogenous (choosing the skin as a place of residence).
Human protozoan parasites can move throughout the body and infect different organs and tissues.
What diseases do flagellates and flagellates cause?
Class whip
- Leishmania causes cutaneous leishmaniasis (Pendinsky ulcer) and visceral leishmaniasis, the first of which manifests itself as persistent putrefactive ulcers on the body, while the second causes inflammation and bleeding.Leishmania enters the body through warm-blooded animals or mosquito bites and affects the skin, heart, kidneys, blood and bone marrow.
- Giardia, the agent that causes giardiasis, affects the mucous tissues of the intestines or gallbladder.After failure, people begin to suffer from asthma, mental disorders (most commonly depression), and their skin becomes dry.Giardia is common in countries with hot climates.
- Trichomoniasis (depending on the habitat - oral, intestinal and genital or urogenital), causes trichomoniasis.After infection, a person feels itching in the area of the reproductive system and observes pathological discharge from the genitals.The biggest danger of this disease is the high risk of infertility.
- Trypanosoma causes African or American trypanosomiasis (first sleeping sickness, second Chags disease).It affects the lymph nodes (they enlarge), cerebrospinal fluid, blood and spleen, as a result of which the function of the spleen and liver is disrupted, the patient becomes drowsy and may die.
Fluff layer
Balantidia is the causative agent of balantida disease, which affects the mucous membrane of the large intestine.The obvious sign of this parasite is diarrhea with mucus and blood.This disease often ends in death.
What diseases are caused by rhizomes and spores?
Spore layer
- Plasmodium malaria enters the blood and liver and causes malaria.Symptoms of the disease are fever, chills or fever, central nervous system disorders and possibly death.It is transmitted through the bite of malaria mosquitoes and is transmitted to humans.
- The causative agent of toxoplasmosis is toxoplasma, which affects the central nervous system, digestive organs, muscle tissue and eyes.At first it occurs without symptoms, then there is a disturbance in the functioning of some organs.
Class code
Amoebic dysentery is the causative agent of amebiasis, affecting the mucous membrane of the large intestine and, less commonly, the bladder and skin.It may be asymptomatic or may signal itself with vomiting, bloody diarrhea and mild fever (up to 37.5 degrees).Symptoms appear 7-10 days after the amoeba enters the body.
Less common are extraintestinal forms of the disease, which affect the liver, lungs or other organs.This disease is common in Asian and tropical countries.
Path of infection
Protozoan parasites enter our body in different ways - through the skin or natural openings in the human body.
There are four routes (routes) of human parasitic disease infection:
- The contact-household route opens in case of unsanitary conditions and non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene (when shaking hands or using household appliances, bathing in dirty water, cysts enter the human body and begin to develop), trypanosomes and trichomonas are transmitted through this route;
- through products infected with parasites (meat, especially wild animals, fish, dairy products), they can be sterilized by heat treatment;An example of a disease transmitted in this way is toxoplasmosis;
- fecal-oral route: parasites leave the body with feces or vomit, then enter water, food, household items, the owner's hands and through them into the body of a new carrier (this route of infection is especially common in children: contact with animals, eating unwashed fruits, playing in dirty sandboxes);
- transmission (malaria) – transmission of protozoan parasites through bites along with the saliva of the carrier.
Less often, parasites enter the body in the following ways:
- from mother to fetus during pregnancy, this route is called transplacental, because the parasite enters through the placenta;
- together with contaminated blood (blood transfusions and other medical procedures, injections, including narcotic drugs, during intimacy) - contact with blood;
- during sexual intercourse - genital tract.
Prevent infection
To prevent infection with protozoa, a person must follow some simple rules:
- Proper heat treatment of fish and meat, milk control;
- You can only eat products that have passed hygiene checks;
- Washing fruits before eating and just dipping them in water is not enough;you need to wash it thoroughly and, if possible, pour boiling water over it;
- avoid casual sex;
- prevention of insect bites (use special creams, mosquito nets);
- Regular health check-ups when infection is suspected and for prevention;
- increase immunity, including through the consumption of garlic, oranges, carrots, green tea, dried fruits, porridge;
- Basic knowledge about which protozoa parasitize the human body and how they get there.
It is easy to follow these rules, the main thing is regularity.
Information about parasite groups, for example where protozoan parasites live, helps to choose the priority among named prevention measures.
With proper prevention and in case of disease - surgical treatment, parasites will not harm your body.