Among the simplest organisms are many parasites of animals and humans.The most serious and common disease-causing parasitic protozoa are listed below.
Dysenteric amoeba
The dysenteric amoeba is similar to the common one, but smaller and has shorter and wider rhizomes.In the cyst stage, it enters the human digestive system through the mouth.In the large intestine, the amoeba leaves the cyst and feeds on bacteria without harming the person.Later, this simple organism begins to penetrate the intestinal wall, feeds on red blood cells and becomes a parasite.Ulcers form in the intestines, exhausting the human body.The disease is amoebic dysentery or amebiasis.
Dysenteric amoeba can enter the bloodstream and reach the liver.Here too, the parasite causes the formation of purulent ulcers.
Amoebae, which form cysts, leave the human body with undigested food residues.Mild cysts spread easily.If you don't wash your hands and food, you can get an infection.
Plasmodium malaria
Plasmodium is a parasitic protozoan.Some species of Plasmodium cause malaria in humans.The carrier of the malaria plasmodium is the malaria mosquito.Plasmodium enters the blood of the host during an insect bite.Together with the blood, it reaches the liver, where it is nourished, grows and reproduces.Many plasmodia then re-enter the bloodstream and begin to parasitize red blood cells, destroying them and releasing waste products that poison the host.The person has a fever and suffers from anemia.
If a person with malaria is bitten again by malaria mosquitoes, the plasmodia are now transmitted from the person to the mosquito.Plasmodium reproduces sexually in the mosquito's body.
Malaria is widespread in Africa.This is a very dangerous disease.Malaria is controlled, among other things, by killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Trypanosomes
The genus Trypanosomes consists of parasitic protozoa with flagella (close to Euglena).Their main host is a vertebrate, and their carriers are usually insects.Different representatives of trypanosomes cause different diseases in animals and humans.They mainly parasitize the blood and spinal fluid.The most famous and common disease caused by trypanosomes is sleeping sickness.
The vector of sleeping sickness is the tsetse fly.This disease is characteristic of tropical Africa.Sleeping sickness develops in two stages: in the first weeks, a person suffers from fever and pain, drowsiness occurs after a month or more of sleep, sleep and coordination disorders, and changes in consciousness.It is easier to treat the disease in the first stage.
Giardia
Giardia is a genus of flagellated parasitic protozoa.Intestinal giardia causes giardiasis in humans and animals, where the parasite lives in the small intestine.
A person becomes infected with Giardia by eating unwashed food containing Giardia cysts.Giardia emerging from the cyst adheres to the intestines and feeds on digested food.
Leishmania
Leishmania is another genus of parasitic protozoa.They cause leishmaniasis in humans and many animals.The carriers are mosquitoes.
There are different types of leishmaniasis associated with damage to different tissues of the body.One of them is the skin disease Pendensky's ulcer.
Coccidia
Coccidia are parasitic in many animals, including worms, arthropods, and fish.They cause coccidiosis diseases, which cause serious damage in livestock and fisheries.
Coccidia are located in the form of spores with parasitic cells.
Coccidia include the genus Toxoplasma.Their representatives cause a widespread disease in humans, such as toxoplasmosis.A person becomes infected from domestic animals or poorly prepared meat dishes.Toxoplasma affects many organs, including the nervous system.