One of the major branches of protozoology is devoted to single-celled microorganisms and considers primitive human parasites to be one of the forms of existence of organisms.
Protozoa from the point of view of medical parasitology study the ways and causes of diseases, their symptoms (one of the individual symptoms, frequent manifestations of the disease, pathological condition or disruption of any life process) and methods of treatment. leading position. They are followed by helminthology and arachnoentomology - systematic methods of medicine to get rid of arthropod parasites, aimed at getting rid of helminthic infestations.
The fauna is richly represented by single-celled microorganisms that live everywhere - from the seabed to the upper atmosphere. All of them belong to the protozoa or sub-kingdom of protozoa, which have more than 15, 000 representatives of single-celled organisms.
Among free-living single-celled species, there are parasitic forms that are classified as a separate category that cause a number of serious diseases - protozoa and their associated symptoms, says a senior researcher at the medical center.
In its simplest form, there are several dozen species of parasites that live at the expense of the human body. Amoebae are localized in the intestinal tract and cause symptoms (one of the individual symptoms, frequent manifestations of any disease, pathological condition or disruption of any vital process) amoebiasis. If it is a dysenteric form of the parasite, then it leads to the development of dysentery, as well as Giardia disease, which causes giardiasis. The soft tissues of the internal organs can be affected by Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, which cause unpleasant symptoms of toxoplasmosis that require special treatment.
The structure of single-celled organisms
The body of a microorganism is just one cell that contains the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Organoids - endoplasmic reticulum, covered with a cytoplasmic membrane containing ribosomes, Golgi apparatus and mitochondria. All of them provide nutrition, respiration, movement, metabolic processes and excretory processes.
The body of a unicellular organism has both a fixed and a variable shape (this can mean: the shape of the object - the relative position of the object, the boundaries (contours) of the object, as well as the relative position of the points on the line). Some representatives of protozoa have symmetrical bodies, while others have an asymmetrical body shape. In appearance, the representatives of the flag parasites look like a mile. The rhizomes of the form (that is, the shape of the object - the mutual alignment of the object, the boundaries (contours) of the object, as well as the relative position of the points of the line) do not have a body. all.
Cells divide by simple mitosis, but in some species sexual fertilization occurs with the formation of the zygote during reproduction. Almost all simple organisms are heterotrophs, but among them are autotrophic species of single-celled parasites.
Due to pseudopodia, motor function is produced in the amoeba, which looks like a flood by throwing pseudopodia. The lashes move due to the often shortened lashes that cover their bodies abundantly. The movement of the flags is due to the movement of the flagella, from which they take their unpretentious names.
The process of feeding an amoeba is also associated with pseudopodia, in which the food is wrapped in pseudopodia and swallowed. Some forms are fed using a cellular mouth. Digestive phagocytosis - an internal process, as well as pinocytosis - is carried out by the process of external absorption of food by the entire surface of the body.
The main feature of protozoa at the beginning of adverse conditions is the formation of cysts. The process of cyst formation is especially characteristic of dysenteric amoebae. The parasite (\ one of the coexisting organisms) allows it to maintain its viability during long-term anabiosis.
The main classes of protozoa parasites (one of the coexistence of organisms)
Representatives of unicellular organisms (living organisms with a set of features that distinguish them from inanimate matter, including metabolism, the ability to maintain their structure and organization, and their ability to reproduce) are divided into four main classes:
Sarcode class
The sarcoid class includes one of the most common single-celled parasites, dangerous to humans - the dysenteric amoeba, which exists in 4 different forms:
- The vegetative form is the largest, reaching 20 microns in size. Finding a parasite in fresh feces confirms a disappointing diagnosis, the symptoms speak for themselves.
- A pathogenic form of tissue or parasite that leads a parasitic lifestyle in the lumen of the large intestine. The defeat of the amoeba of the intestinal mucosa is produced in a special way.
- The main form of dysenteric amoeba living in the lumen of the clear or large intestine. This form causes the symptoms characteristic of this disease. They are observed during the remission of the patient or during the transport phase. The presence of parasites in the feces of any nature has not been identified.
- The pre-cystic form of amoeba is stabilized in a patient who is in the semi-formed feces of a human carrier of the disease or in the recovery phase.
The main symptoms of diseases caused by amoebic forms are constant sharp pains in the lower abdomen, frequent bowel movements of brown stools due to the composition of the blood, and streaks of mucus. Body temperature remains normal. A similar picture can periodically accompany the patient for several years and lead to exhaustion, as well as the development of anemia. The patient may die with complications caused by the tissue form of the amoeba and without proper treatment.
Class flagellates or flagellates
A characteristic feature is that the body is equipped with the simplest organs of movement - one or more flagella. The most common pathogens of this class are:
- Trypanosomes that cause African sleep disorders;
- leishmaniasis causing urban or rural leishmaniasis;
- trichomonas - the causative agents of trichomoniasis, mainly in the vaginal form;
- Giardia is a protozoa that cause giardiasis.
sporozole class
Typical representatives of sporozoans are malaria plasmodium, which causes symptoms of valaria and toxoplasmosis, causing noxoplasmosis.
eyelash class
A characteristic feature of microorganisms of this class is the presence of lashes all over the body of the microorganism. They perform a motor function, thanks to which the lashes are able to move quickly. The representative of the class is balantidia - the largest human parasite from the protozoa family. Balantidiasis, which causes serious and severe disease in the background of the ulcerative process. The disease persists in an acute subclinical form and can be fatal.