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Many of the most prevalent and deadly human diseases are caused by a protozoan infection, including African sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery, and malaria. The species originally termed "protozoa" are not closely related to each other and only have superficial similarities ( eukaryotic , unicellular , motile , though with exceptions).
For example, the human body louse transmits the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii which causes epidemic typhus. Although invertebrate-transmitted diseases pose a particular threat on the continents of Africa, Asia and South America, there is one way of controlling invertebrate-borne diseases, which is by controlling the invertebrate vector.
Some protists are significant parasites of animals (e.g.; five species of the parasitic genus Plasmodium cause malaria in humans and many others cause similar diseases in other vertebrates), plants [133] [134] (the oomycete Phytophthora infestans causes late blight in potatoes) [135] or even of other protists. [136] [137]
Protists are distributed across all major groups of eukaryotes, including those that contain multicellular algae, green plants, animals, and fungi. If photosynthetic and fungal protists are distinguished from protozoa, they appear as shown in the phylogenetic tree of eukaryotic groups.
Main article: Human parasite Endoparasites Protozoan organisms Common name of organism or disease Latin name (sorted) Body parts affected Diagnostic specimen Prevalence Source/Transmission (Reservoir/Vector) Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and Acanthamoeba keratitis (eye infection) Acanthamoeba spp. eye, brain, skin culture worldwide contact lenses cleaned with contaminated tap water ...
A parasitic disease, also known as parasitosis, is an infectious disease caused by parasites. [1] Parasites are organisms which derive sustenance from its host while causing it harm. [ 2 ] The study of parasites and parasitic diseases is known as parasitology . [ 3 ]
As a protist, Plasmodium is a eukaryote of the phylum Apicomplexa. Unusual characteristics of this organism in comparison to general eukaryotes include the rhoptry, micronemes, and polar rings near the apical end. Plasmodium is known best for the infection it causes in humans, namely, malaria.
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The parasite migrates to the internal organs such as the liver , spleen (hence " visceral "), and bone marrow , and, if left untreated, will almost always result in the death of the host.