Parasites and Parasitism Parasites (endo-) or (ecto-) feed on living organisms while causing harm They gain benefits from them (e.g. unlimited supply of nutrients, H2O, constant temp) Can be bacteria, protoctists, viruses, fungi, arthropods, platyhelminthes Have structural and functional adoptions to their lifecycle Specialised reproductive strategies Modification of mouthparts, digestive enzymes and enzymes to allow attachment to the host and utilisation of host's food supply, blood or tissues Resist attack by immune system Reduction of unnecessary sensory organs and locomotory organs in the adult stage, as they live in protected, optimum conditions Plasmodium (Malarial parasite) Single celled, intracellular parasite of the kingdom Proctista (class protozoa) Development requires 2 hosts for its lifecycle Female mosquito (unaffected) and human (affected) Parasite is transferred by bites from the female mosquito Mosquito releases anti-coagulants when piercing skin / prevents blot clotting Parasites is injected into human in the form of sporozoites If the human is infected with the malarial parasite, the mosquito takes up Plasmodium gametes in the blood on which the mosquito feeds Asexual reproduction phase Occurs in human liver and red blood cells Produces enormous quantities of parasites, merozoite stage Sexual phase Occurs in the female mosquito [EXAM] Lives inside the liver and red blood cells Survive for long periods because it is protected from the immune system Inside the blood or liver cell; and Surface antigen changes rapidly Has no (need for) locomotory structures because It is transported via blood stream No need to move to find food Has no (need for) mechanism for regulating its water content because cytoplasm has same water potential as blood cell Symptoms and Treatment Red blood cells are destroyed causing anaemia and fever Temp peaks correspond to bursting of red blood cells Anti-malarial drug chloroquine lowers fever; reduces number of parasites Increasing resistance to the drug / combined drugs used High mutation rate / memory cells or vaccines useless Lifecycle Infection of Human Infected female mosquitoes are feeding human blood Secretes salvia which contains anticoagulants (anti blood-clotting agents) Sporozoites (young malarial parasites) in the salvia enter blood Latent Period Parasites migrate to liver cells / undergo asexual reproduction / develop into merozoites Merozoites infect red blood cells / undergo asexual reproduction / produce more merozoites Outbreak Merozoites burst out of red blood cells to infect more cells This outburst is associated with bouts of fever Some merozoites develop into gametocytes Infection of Female Mosquitos Gametocytes are taken up by female mosquitos that feed on the infected person's blood Inside the female mosquito, gametes produced by those gametocytes fuse (sexual reproduction phase) Results in zygotes which develop into sporozoites Sporozoites move into the salivary glands of the female mosquito where they can be injected into another person Cycle starts again Schistosoma (endoparasite) Name of a genus of parasitic flatworms; causes the disease Bilharzia in humans Two hosts for lifecycle: fresh water snails (vector) and humans Penetrate the skin via enzymes damaging the host cell membrane Invades blood vessels, veins of the bladder region, abdomen and pelvis (Schistosoma haematobium) or the intestine (S. mansoni and S. japanicum) Adult schistosomes exist as separate males and females usually found attached to one another, to ensure mating and sexual reproduction Fertilised eggs are deposited in the blood vessels of the host Huge number of eggs cause the vessels to rupture Eggs are discharged into the intestine to reach the outside of the body They work their way into adjacent organs (bladder, large intestine) for their way out Within tissues they cause severe inflammation, blood in the urine (anaemia) Adult worm lacks locomotion and sensory organs Unnecessary inside the host's body Surrounded by nutrients in constant optimum conditions Adult worm manipulates host's immune system Parasite coats itself with molecules from the host's red blood cells The host recognises those cells as its own Lifecycle Eggs pass out of an infected human via the urine or faeces Hatch into minute ciliated larvae (miracidia) / capable of swimming until they find and burrow into a water snail and grow into a structure called sporocyst Asexual reproduction occurs, producing free swimming larvae, cercariae, which borrow, aided by the secretion of digestive enzymes, into the human via the skin or feet Larvae migrate to the bladder or gut region where they may exist for many years producing a vast number of parasites