What Are Protozoa & Flukes?

Protozoa and flukes are only related in that they both are parasites and can cause a considerable amount of pain to their host. Protozoa generally infect the digestive system of the host and cause distress in the form of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea as well as fever and dehydration. Flukes can infect other body tissues such as kidneys, lungs, liver and the heart.

Protozoa

• Protozoa are single celled organisms that have highly developed organelles within their cell structure. Organelles are the organ-like parts of the cell that carry out the cells functions such as nucleus and mitochondria. There are over 70 known types of parasitic protozoans.

Protozoa Contamination

• Protozoa thrive in areas of the world where food processing and water treatment are easily contaminated by animal and human waste. A protozoan egg is called a cyst and is inactive, laying dormant after being released into the fecal matter of the previous host. When food or water becomes contaminated, the cyst develops inside the intestinal tract of the new host where it begins to reproduce.
  Some protozoa infect a new host through the transfer of blood or saliva when the original host bites the new host.

Types of Protozoa

• Amoebic dysentery is one of the most common types of protozoa that can effect travelers all over the world, particularly those in the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Hikers who drink untreated water can catch Giardia lamblia, which causes severe diarrhea. Blood borne protozoa include malaria and African sleeping sickness.

Flukes

• Flukes, also known as trematodes, are a parasitic class of helminths. They are also referred to as flatworms as they are flat and oval-shaped. Their muscles allow them to move in a host's body. Flukes have an oral sucker to attach themselves to the host. Sometimes this includes a ring of hooks around the sucker.

Life-Cycle of the Fluke

• Eggs are deposited into the hosts digestive tract and become dormant. When the eggs find fresh water, they hatch to become larvae and look for an appropriate host, such as snails or small fish. The larva change inside the host to become sporocysts. Sporocysts change into another form of parasite called cercariae. These burrow out of the snail and into the water again. Cercariae have a tail, called a flagella, that helps them find another host, usually a bird or small mammal. Unsuspecting animals can also ingest infected meat, particularly fish or shellfish with the cercariae hidden in their tissues.

Treatments

• Drugs, such as cholorquine, have been created to treat malaria and other similar protozoan caused diseases. Some antibiotics, like metronidazole have been found to be effective, but prevention seems to be the best method. Filtering water, using chlorine or iodine to sanitize water, avoiding food or water that may be contaminated as well as using mosquito nets are all recommended for avoiding parasitic protozoa. Flukes can be treated with drugs such as oxamniquine or metrofonate. Again, proper prevention may be the best way to remain healthy. If you swim in water that may be infected by cercariae, wipe your skin with a 70 percent alcohol solution and wash clothes in treated water.