Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
10:57
Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
[Forgotten parasitic diseases]
Meditsinskaia Parazitologiia I Parazitarnye Bolezni
|March 26, 2003
Summary
Parasitic systems show ecological flexibility, adapting to environmental changes and human impact. This adaptability is seen in various parasites like pentastomes, cestodes, and dirofilariae.
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
Context:
- Parasitic systems exhibit remarkable adaptability to environmental fluctuations.
- Anthropological pressures significantly influence parasite ecology and distribution.
- Studies examine parasitic flexibility in response to ecological shifts.
Purpose:
- To investigate the ecological flexibility of various parasitic systems.
- To understand how environmental changes and human activities affect parasite populations.
- To document the adaptive strategies of parasites like Linguatula serrata, Spirometra erinacei europaei, and Dirofilaria species.
Summary:
- Ecological flexibility is a key characteristic of parasitic systems.
- Parasites such as pentastomes (Linguatula serrata, Armillifer sp.), cestodes (Spirometra erinacei europaei), and dirofilariae (D. repens, D. immitis, D. ursi) demonstrate this adaptability.
- Adaptation occurs in response to environmental shifts and increasing anthropological pressure.
Impact:
- Understanding parasite adaptability is crucial for predicting disease dynamics.
- This research informs strategies for parasite control and management in changing environments.
- Highlights the interconnectedness of host-parasite systems with ecological and anthropogenic factors.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:15Diversity of Protists I
Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...
01:22Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...