The simplest organisms include many parasites of animals and humans.Listed below are the parasitic protozoa that cause the most serious and common diseases.
Dysenteric amoeba
The dysenteric amoeba is similar to the common amoeba, but is smaller and has shorter and wider root stalks.In the cyst stage it enters the human digestive system through the mouth.In the large intestine, the amoeba hatches from the cyst and feeds on bacteria without causing any harm to humans.This simple organism then begins to invade the intestinal wall, feed on red blood cells and become a parasite.Ulcers form in the intestines, depleting the human body.The disease amoebic dysentery or amebiasis occurs.
Dysenteric amoebas can enter the bloodstream and reach the liver.Here too, the parasite leads to the formation of purulent ulcers.
Amoebas form cysts and leave the human body with undigested food particles.Mild cysts spread easily.If you don't wash your hands and food, you can become infected.
Malaria plasmodium
Plasmodium is a parasitic protozoan.Some species of Plasmodium cause malaria in humans.The malaria mosquito is the vector that transmits malaria plasmodium.When an insect bites, Plasmodium enters the host's bloodstream.Together with the blood, it travels to the liver, where it feeds, grows and multiplies.Afterwards, many plasmodia enter the bloodstream again and begin to parasitize the red blood cells, destroying them and releasing their waste products, poisoning the host.A person develops a fever and suffers from anemia.
If a person suffering from malaria is bitten again by a malaria mosquito, the plasmodia are now transmitted from the person to the mosquito.Plasmodium reproduces sexually in a mosquito's body.
Malaria is widespread in Africa.This is a very dangerous disease.Malaria is combated, among other things, by destroying malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Trypanosomes
The genus Trypanosomes consists of parasitic protozoa with flagella (closely related to Euglena).Their main host is a vertebrate, their carriers are mostly insects.Different representatives of trypanosomes cause different diseases in animals and humans.They parasitize mainly in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid.The best known and most common disease caused by trypanosomes is sleeping sickness.
The carrier of sleeping sickness is the tsetse fly.This disease is typical of tropical Africa.Sleeping sickness develops in two stages: in the first few weeks a person is plagued by fever and pain, after a month or longer there is drowsiness, sleep and coordination disorders and changes in consciousness.In the first stage the disease is easier to treat.
Giardia
Giardia is a genus of flagellated parasitic protozoa.Intestinal lamblia causes giardiasis in humans and animals, in which the parasite lives in the small intestine.
A person becomes infected with giardiasis by eating unwashed foods that contain Giardia cysts.After the lamblia emerges from the cyst, it attaches to the intestine and feeds on digested food.
Leishmania
Leishmania is another genus of parasitic protozoa.They cause leishmaniasis in humans and many other animals.The vectors are mosquitoes.
There are different types of leishmaniasis, which involve damage to various body tissues.One of them is the skin disease Pendensky ulcer.
Coccidia
Coccidia parasitize many animals, including worms, arthropods and fish.They cause coccidiosis diseases, which cause serious damage to livestock and fish farming.
Coccidia colonize in the form of spores containing parasite cells.
The genus Toxoplasma belongs to the coccidia.Their representatives cause such a widespread disease in humans as toxoplasmosis.A person becomes infected through pets or poorly prepared meat food.Toxoplasma affects many organs, including the nervous system.