Study GuideMicrobiology–Diseases Cardiovascular Lymphatic Systems1.Protozoal and Parasitic DiseasesProtozoa and parasites are living organisms that can cause disease in humans. Some of thesediseases affect the blood, brain, or other organs and are often spread through animals, insects, orcontaminated water. Below are three important examples.1.1ToxoplasmosisToxoplasmosis is aprotozoal diseasecaused byToxoplasma gondii. This organism belongs to agroup called sporozoans.The disease is commonly spread bydomestic house cats. Humans can become infected throughcontact with cat urine or feces, especially when cleaning litter boxes. Once inside the human body, theprotozoa multiply in the bloodstream and go through a complex reproductive cycle.Most infected people experiencemild symptoms, such as fever and general discomfort. In manycases, individuals may not even realize they are infected.However, toxoplasmosis can bevery dangerous in certain people:•Inpregnant women, the protozoa can pass to the unborn baby and cause serious tissuedamage.•InAIDS patients, toxoplasmosis can lead to seizures and inflammation of the brain. In severecases, it can be fatal.1.2MalariaMalaria is a seriousblood diseasecaused by several species of the protozoan genusPlasmodium.These organisms belong to a group known as Sporozoa (also called Apicomplexa).The disease is spread bymosquitoes of the genusAnopheles. When an infected mosquito bites aperson, the parasites enter the bloodstream in a form calledmerozoites. These parasites invade redblood cells.Preview Mode
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