Human Health and Diseases-Communicable Disease-Protozoan Disease

Introduction:

Protozoan Diseases is also known as Protozoa. Protozoan Disease(Protozoa) is a heterotrophic, unicellular, eukaryotic organism. They are either for parasites or free-living. Types of Protozoans? These are divided into six groups and number around 66000 species worldwide. They don’t have a cell wall present, making them vulnerable to infection. Many different cells organelle perform various tasks carried out by various organs in the higher animals, such as the mouth, anus, and intestinal tract.

Plasmodium, Trypanosoma (African sleeping sickness), etc. and other protozoa cause various diseases in both animals and humans.

Basic Characteristics of Protozoan diseases:

1. Habitats:

Protozoa are organisms that live in water. They can be found in both freshwater and saltwater. Some are free-living, while others live as parasites on plants & animals. They are mostly aerobic, but some are anaerobic and found in the human intestine.

Most species live in harsh environments, such as hot springs. To cope with dry environments, some of them form resting cysts.

2. Size and Shape:

Protozoa range in size and shape from microbial (1m) to large enough to be seen with the naked eye. The shell of unicellular foraminifera can grow to be 20 cm in diameter.

Because they lack a rigid cell wall, they are flexible and come in various shapes. A thin plasma membrane surrounds each cell. Some species have a hard shell on the outside of their bodies. The cell of some protozoans, particularly ciliates, is supported by a Pellicle, which can be flexible or rigid and gives organisms a definite shape and aids in locomotion.

3. Cellular Structure:

They have a single eukaryotic cell and are unicellular. Some specialised internal structures carry out metabolic functions.

1. In most cases, the cell has only one membrane-bound in the nucleus.
2. The nucleus appears diffused due to the scattered chromatin, and the vesicular nucleus contains a central body known as an endosome. Apicomplexan nucleoli contain DNA, whereas amoeboids lack DNA in the endosomes.
3. Ciliates contain both a micronucleus and a macronucleus.
4. Nutrition:

Protozoa are heterotrophic and feed on holozoic. Phagocytosis is the process by which they consume food. For phagocytosis, some protozoan groups have a specialised structure called a cytostome. The pseudopodia of amoeboids aid in the capture of prey. The food-laden water is propelled into the gullet by thousands of cilia found in ciliates.

5. Reproduction:

They mostly reproduce asexually. They reproduce through binary fission, longitudinal fission, and budding. Sexual reproduction is present in some of the species. Sexual reproduction occurs through syngamy or the formation of gametocytes.

Types of Protozoan Diseases:

• Amoebiasis:

Amoebiasis, also known as amoebic dysentery (a more severe infection), is a parasitic infection of the intestines. Amoebiasis symptoms can range from mild to severe and are caused by the protozoa amoeba, though most people infected with this parasite do not experience severe symptoms. Amoebiasis is a parasitic amoeba infection that, when symptomatic, can cause dysentery and invasive extra-intestinal problems.

• Visceral Leishmaniasis / Kala – Azar:

They are the most severe leishmaniasis, also known as ‘Kala Azar. It is a life-threatening disease caused by ‘parasitic Leishmania’ parasites transmitted by the female sandflies. Causes are Fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement, and if untreated, death is all symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis. It is particularly difficult to cure people with visceral leishmaniasis and HIV. The poorest of the poor people are affected by visceral leishmaniasis, which is linked to population displacement, malnutrition, poor housing, a weakened immune system, and lack of financial resources.

• Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping-Sickness):

‘Trypanosomiasis’ is a term used to describe a group of parasitic diseases caused by the Trypanosoma parasites.

Humans are affected by the two types of trypanosomiasis, which are classified based on their geographic location: Trypanosoma brucei parasites cause African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, which the tsetse fly transmits? (Glossina). In Latin America, Trypanosoma cruzi parasites cause American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, spread by the triatomine or ‘kissing’ bug.

Symptoms of African Trypanosomiasis:

African trypanosomiasis symptoms can be divided into two stages:

1. The First Stage, Does an inflammatory reaction occur shortly after metacyclic trypomastigotes enter the body and multiply beneath the skin, or hemolymphatic? Phase. This results in skin swelling and lymph node enlargement in the neck. Symptoms of this immune response include fever, headaches, joint pains, and itching.
2. The second stage, also known as the neurological phase, begins when trypanosome parasites cross the blood-brain barrier and infect the central nervous system, including the brain. When the brain is affected, it causes behavioural changes, confusion, poor coordination, speech difficulties, and sleep disturbances (sleeping during the day and insomnia? at night), hence the term sleeping sickness.’

• Malaria:

Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, humans become infected with the parasite. Malaria causes severe illness, including high fever and shivering chills. Despite its rarity in temperate climates, malaria is still common in tropical and subtropical countries. Malaria infects nearly 290 million people each year, with over 400,000 people dying due to the disease.

Conclusion:

All macroscopic and microscopic organisms are studied in the study of living things. Despite the practical and real eye-eight of all microscopic organisms, I learned microscopic organisms like protozoa as macroscopic organisms through textbooks and cyber references. In this article, we discussed protozoan disease, types of protozoan disease, and detailed information about the protozoan disease. I hope this article is helpful for you and finds suitable for you.