Among the simplest organisms there are many parasites of animals and humans. The parasitic protozoa that cause the most serious and common diseases are listed below.
Dysenteric amoeba
The dysenteric amoeba is similar to the common one, but it is smaller and has shorter and wider rhizomes. It enters the human digestive system through the mouth in the cyst stage. In the large intestine, the amoeba leaves the cyst and feeds on bacteria without harming humans. In the future, this simplest organism begins to invade the intestinal wall, feed on red blood cells and become a parasite. Ulcers form in the intestines, depleting the human body. There is a disease of amoebic dysentery or amoebiasis.
The dysenteric amoeba can enter the bloodstream and reach the liver. And here the parasite leads to the formation of purulent ulcers.
Forming cysts, amoebae leave the human body with undigested food debris. Mild cysts spread easily. If you do not wash your hands and food, you can become infected with them.
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodia are parasitic protozoa. Some types of plasmodia cause malaria in humans. The carrier of Plasmodium falciparum is the malaria mosquito. During an insect bite, Plasmodium enters the blood of the host. Together with the blood, it reaches the liver, feeds there, grows and multiplies. Many plasmodia then re-enter the bloodstream and begin to parasitize on red blood cells, destroying them and releasing their waste products, which poison the host. The person develops a fever, suffers from anemia.
If a malaria patient is bitten again by an anopheles mosquito, the plasmodia will now reach the mosquito from the person. In the body of a mosquito, Plasmodium reproduces sexually.
Malaria is common in Africa. This is a very dangerous disease. Malaria control, including the destruction of malaria mosquitoes.
Trypanosomes
The genus trypanosomes are parasitic protozoa with flagella (associated with euglena). Their main host is vertebrates, and insects are usually carriers. Different representatives of trypanosomes cause different diseases in animals and humans. They parasitize mainly in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The most well-known and common disease caused by the type of trypanosome 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: the first weeks a person suffers from fever and pain, after a month or more drowsiness, sleep and coordination disorders and a change in consciousness occur. The disease is easier to treat in the first stage.
Garden
Giardia is a genus of parasitic bullish protozoa. Intestinal giardiasis causes giardiasis in humans and animals, in which the parasite lives in the small intestine.
A person becomes infected with giardiasis by eating unwashed food containing Giardia cysts. Leaving the cyst, the lamblia adheres 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. Vectors are mosquitoes.
There are different types of leishmaniasis associated with damage to various tissues of the body. One of them is the skin disease Pendinsky ulcer.
Coccidia
Coccidia parasitize many animals, including worms, arthropods, and fish. They cause diseases of coccidiosis, which cause serious damage to livestock and fish farming.
Coccidia precipitate in the form of spores containing parasitic cells.
The genus Toxoplasma belongs to the coccidia. Their representatives cause such a widespread disease in humans as toxoplasmosis. A person becomes infected by pets or poorly cooked meat. Toxoplasma affects many organs, including the nervous system.