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Protozoan infections are responsible for diseases that affect many different types of organisms, including plants, animals, and some marine life. Many of the most prevalent and deadly human diseases are caused by a protozoan infection, including African sleeping sickness, amoebic dysentery, and malaria.
Human parasites are divided into endoparasites, which cause infection inside the body, and ectoparasites, which cause infection superficially within the skin. The cysts and eggs of endoparasites may be found in feces , which aids in the detection of the parasite in the human host while also providing the means for the parasitic species to exit ...
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]
Many protozoan pathogens are human parasites, causing serious diseases such as malaria, giardiasis, toxoplasmosis, and sleeping sickness. Some of these protozoa have two-phase life cycles, alternating between proliferative stages (e.g., trophozoites) and resting cysts, enabling them to survive harsh conditions. [70]
Malaria is caused by a protozoan called Plasmodium falciparum. P. falciparum parasites are transmitted mainly by the Anopheles gambiae complex in rural Africa. [54] In just this area, P. falciparum infections comprise an estimated 200 million clinical cases and 1 million annual deaths. 75% of individuals affected in this region are children. [57]
Human malaria is caused by single-celled microorganisms of the Plasmodium group. [10] It is spread exclusively through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. [10] [12] The mosquito bite introduces the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood. [3] The parasites travel to the liver, where they mature and reproduce. [1]
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.