Parasitic Infections Life Cycle

 Parasitic Infections Life Cycle

• Most Parasites Lead a fascinating life cycle, choosing single host or multiple hosts to complete their life processes of asexual and sexual.
• it covers the complete process of growing , developing,reproducing and the process of transferring to multiple hosts in order to complete the life cycle this is the "free living"and infective phase of the parasite.
• The host, in which the adult form of the parasite lives with sexual identity, is the definitive host.
• Knowledge of life cycle and specific requirements of each type of parasite is valuable in preventing parasitic infections and in determing the appropriate specimen to examine when parasitic infection is suspected
  
  
  
• The Parasites have specific requirements and are typically host-specific.However,if conditions are right,parasites normally found in one host can survive or even thrive in a unnatural. An example of this is the dog heartworm,Dirofilaria.
• This parasite is considered to be host specific,with dog being the natural host.However, the dog heartworm can infect other animals,such as cats.These infections are not usually as serious as infections in dogs
  
  
  
• In short,the definitive host is the main host of the parasite where the parasite sexually matures into adult form. The intermediate hosts can be one or more in order to complete the life cycle of a parasite.This is the asexual or immature phase of the parasite where they multiply and infect new hosts.For example,Plasmodium,which causes malaria,lives in both humans and mosquitoes.The intermediate host where the parasite attacks the red cells and multoplies in it. Its sexual phase is completed in mosquitoes, the definitive host.

• A reservoir host is an organism other than the main host that can harbour a parasite and serve as a source of infection.A vector is a living carrier that transmits the parasite to an uninfected host.
• A biological vector is a host essential to the life life cycle;for example the biologic vector for plasmodium is the mosquito 
• Mechanical vectors transmit the parasite mechanically. for rxample, flies that land on infected faeces can then land on food and carry infective parasite stages from one site to another.