Parasites of Homo sapiens

An Annotated Checklist of the Protozoa, Helminths and Arthropods for which we are Home

Richard Ashford, William Crewe

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2003
• Print ISBN: 9780415311182
• eBook ISBN: 9781134386857
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Homo sapiens rank among the most parasitized of all animals. In part this is because we know so much about all aspects of the biology of our species, but in addition, our varied habitat and diet and our global distribution exposes us to more infections than any other species. Whereas some familiar parasitic infections are responsible for much human

PART 1:
PROTOZOA

CHROMISTA: Bigyra

Blastocystis hominis

Status: 6. Widespread and abundant in most populations Dist: Cosmopolitan Hab: Lumen of intestine Hosts: Identical forms in many mammals; also in birds, reptiles and invertebrates Trans: (Faeco—oral contamination) Zoo stat: 3 Boreham and Stenzel 1998

FUNGI?: Microsporidia

Brachiola algerae

Syn: Nosema algerae Status: 1. A single confirmed case Dist: NEA—Mexico Hab: Cornea Hosts: Normally a parasite of mosquitoes Trans: Risk: Patient was immunocompetent Zoo stat: 1 Visvesvara et al. 1999; Lowman et al. 2000

Brachiola connori

 Syn: Nosema connori  Status: 1. A single confirmed case Dist: NEA—USA Hab: Widely disseminated Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 1 Beaver et al. 1984; Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998; Curry 1999

Brachiola vesicularum

 Status: 1. A single case Dist: Hab: Muscle Hosts: Trans: Risk: Zoo stat: 1 Curry 1999

Encephalitozoon cuniculi

 Status: 1. Twice in children and a few times in AIDS patients, but up to 8% seropositivity for Encephalitozoon sp. Dist: PAL; AETH; NEA; (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Widely disseminated Hosts: A wide range of mammals, especially rabbit and dog; rabbit may be main source of human infection Trans: Transplacental transmission occurs in carnivore hosts, causing fading-puppy syndrome Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 1 Hollister et al. 1989, 1996; Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998; Canning 2001

Encephalitozoon hellem

 Status: 1. ‘Rarely diagnosed’; only in AIDS patients Dist: (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Ocular; extensively in viscera, including kidneys Hosts: Man, budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus  Trans: May enter through respiratory system Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 2 Deluoi and Cenac 1994; Hollister et al. 1996; Canning 1998; Didier et al. 1998; Canning 2001

Encephalitozoon intestinalis

Syn: Septata intestinalis Status: 1. Extremely rare, only in AIDS patients, but may be confused with E.bieneusi;  much higher prevalence suspected Dist: (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Primarily in the intestine, but spreads widely to other organs Hosts: Dog, pig, cow, goat, donkey Trans: Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 2 Deluol and Cenac 1994; Hartsheerl et al.1995; Canning 1998; Curry 1999

Enterocytozoon bieneusi

 Status: 2. Rare: several hundred cases by 1994, but rapidly ‘emerging’. Reaches 30% in AIDS patients. Dist: Cosmopolitan Hab: Primarily in the intestine, but spreads widely to other organs Hosts: Man, pig, non-human primates: Macaca spp., dog, cat Trans: Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 3 Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998; Didier et al. 1998, Curry 1999

Canning (2001) suggests that pigs and monkeys cannot be sources of human infection, and that this is a ‘shared’ species.

‘Microsporidium’ africanum

 Syn: Nosema africana Status: 1. A single case Dist: AETH—Botswana Hab: Cornea Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Zoo stat: 1 Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998; Curry 1998

‘Microsporidium’ ceylonensis

 Syn: Nosema ceylonensis  Status: 1. A single case Dist: OR—Sri Lanka Hab: Cornea Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Zoo stat: 1 Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998; Curry 1998

Nosema ocularum

 Status: 1. A single case described Dist: NEA—USA Hab: Cornea Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Risk: Case was an athymic infant Zoo stat: 1 Desportes-Livage 1996; Canning 1998

Pleistophora sp.

Most, but not all ‘Pleistophora’ records may refer to Trachipleistophora spp.
 Status: 1. Dist: Hab: Muscles Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Risk: Immunosuppressed host Zoo stat: 1 Canning 1998

Thelohania? sp.

 Status: 1. Two cases to 1998 Dist: Hab: Cardiac muscle, liver, brain, kidney Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Risk: Both cases had HIV infection Zoo stat: 1 Didier et al. 1998

Trachipleistophora anthropophthera

Status: 1. Two patients to date Dist: NEA—USA Hab: Brain; widely disseminated elsewhere Hosts: Known from man only Risk: Immunosuppressed host Trans: Zoo stat: 2 Curry 1999

Trachipleistophora hominis

Most, but not all ‘Pleistophora’ infections may refer to this species Status: 1. A single known case Dist: AUS—Australia Hab: Muscles, cornea Hosts: Known from man only Risk: Immunosuppressed host Trans: Carnivory? Zoo stat: 1 Hollister et al. 1996; Canning 1998

Vittaforma corneae

Syn: Nosema corneum  Status: 1. Two recorded cases Dist: NEA—USA Hab: Cornea; also widely dispersed in an AIDS patient Hosts: Known from man only Trans: Zoo stat: 1 Deluol and Cenac 1994; Canning 1998

METAMONADA: Intestinal flagellates

Chilomastix mesnili

Status: 4. May reach 10% Dist: Cosmopolitan Hab: Caecum and colon Hosts: Identical forms in monkeys and pig Trans: Faeco—oral contamination Zoo stat: 3, possibly 4, depending on taxonomy Beaver et al. 1984; Levine 1985

Enteromonas hominis

Status: 2. Nowhere common Dist: (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Intestine, especially caecum Hosts: Identical forms in primates, hamster, rat Trans: Faeco-oral contamination Zoo stat: 3 or 4, depending on taxonomy Beaver et al. 1984; Levine 1985

Giardia intestinalis

Syn: Giardia lamblia Giardia duodenalis  Lamblia intestinalis  Status: 6. Endemic in most populations, mainly in children Dist: Cosmopolitan Hab: Small intestine Hosts: Identical forms in primates, carnivores, ungulates, rodents Trans: Faeco-oral contamination Zoo stat: 3 Beaver et al. 1984

The human strains belong to two related ‘assemblages’ of genotypes, both shared with several other hosts (Thompson et al. 2000).

Retortamonas intestinalis

Status: 2. Rare Dist: PAL; OR; NEA; NEO; (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Caecum Hosts: Described from man only, but may equal species from monkeys, sheep, rabbits,guinea pigs (or insects) Trans: Zoo stat: 2 Beaver et al. 1984

PARABASALIA

Dientamoeba fragilis

Status: 5. Probably endemic everywhere but prevalence rarely>5%; frequently overlooked Dist: (Cosmopolitan) Hab: Lumen of caecum and upper colon Hosts: 2. Possibly primates P1? May be paratenic in Enterobius eggs Trans: Unproven, but may be transmitted in egg of Enterobius vermicularis; direct contamination unsuccessful Zoo stat: 4 (Apparently the only genus of parasites restricted to H.sapiens) Beaver et al. 1984

Pentatrichomonas hominis

Syn: Trichomonas hominis  Status: 5. Endemic in most populations but prevalence rarely>10% Dist: Cosmopolitan Hab: Caecal area Hosts:...

Table of contents

• COVER PAGE
• TITLE PAGE
• COPYRIGHT PAGE
• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION
• PART 1: PROTOZOA
• PART 2: TREMATODA
• PART 3: CESTODA
• PART 4: NEMATODA
• PART 5: ACANTHOCEPHALA
• PART 6: ARTHROPODA
• EXCLUSIONS
• SUMMARY
• REFERENCES