Unit 7: Protozoa and Helminths
Pro/Eukaryotes include Fungi, Algae, Protozoa, and Helminths. This unit discusses protozoa and helminths, which are parasites. Parasites are, by definition, organisms that benefit only at the expense of their living hosts. Protozoa are usually single-celled organisms that have highly complex life cycles. Helminths (also known as parasitic worms) live inside their hosts, often in intestinal tracts, where they hijack their host's nutrient absorption pathway. An astounding number of people are believed to be infected with helminths; most estimates claim that at least 1 billion individuals have been affected!
Completing this unit should take you approximately 14 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- discuss the main features of protozoa and helminths;
- give examples and identify unique characteristics of protozoa that infect the intestines, blood, and other parts of the body; and
- differentiate between the different types of parasitic worms.
7.1: Protozoa
7.1.1: Protozoa Characteristics
Read this chapter, which focuses on protozoa and their unique features.
7.1.2: Types of Protozoa
7.1.2.1: Intestinal and Luminal Protozoa
Read this chapter about intestinal and luminal protozoa. Take advantage of the PowerPoint lecture slides as you study. Be sure to examine all of the life cycle diagrams that are embedded in the text when you study.
7.1.2.2: Blood-Borne Protozoa
Read this chapter on blood-borne protozoa. Take advantage of the PowerPoint lecture slides as you study. Be sure to examine the life cycle diagrams that are embedded in the text when you study.
7.1.2.3: Trichomonas
7.2: Helminths
7.2.1: Helminths Characteristics
Read this chapter to understand the characteristics of Helminths. Unlike Protozoa and Algae, which fall under the kingdom "Protists," Helminths fall under the kingdom "Animalia."
7.2.2: Types of Helminths
7.2.2.1: Nematodes
Read this article on the round worms known as nematodes. Take advantage of the PowerPoint lecture slides as you study. Be sure to examine all of the life cycle diagrams that are embedded in the text when you study.
7.2.2.2: Trematodes
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine: Abdul Ghaffar and Gregory Brower's "Trematodes" URL
Read this article on the flukes known as trematodes. Take advantage of the PowerPoint lecture slides as you study. Be sure to examine all of the life cycle diagrams that are embedded in the text when you study.
7.2.2.3: Cestodes
Read this article on tapeworms, also known as cestodes. Take advantage of the PowerPoint lecture slides as you study. Be sure to examine all of the life cycle diagrams that are embedded in the text when you study.
Complete this quiz. After completing the quiz return to the first page and click on "Answers" to see the correct answers. There is a detailed introduction to this assessment above the "Self-Quiz." Be sure to visit the "Results" section, also note that clicking on the links under the empty frames brings you to annotated micrographs.
7.3: Antiparasitics
Study these slides. Use the arrows to work your way through the presentation, which thoroughly covers the drugs used to treat parasites.