BIOLOGY 361
PARASITOLOGY

1. Catalog Entry

Biology 361. Parasitology
Three hours lecture; three hours laboratory (4)

Prerequisite: BIOL 121

Studies of the anatomy systematics, ecology and the life cycles of the major parasitic groups, including the protistans. Emphasis of parsites of humans.

2. Detailed Description of Content of Course

Through the lecture and laboratory sessions of the course, students will explore the science of parasitology by studying the most common parasites that infect/infest humans. The concepts and major parasite groups that will be investigated are outlined below.

Content of Lecture Presentations

a. Introduction and general principles

1.' Terminology:

aa. Host, parasite, community
bb. Free living vs. parasitic way of life
cc. Anatomical and physiological adaptations in parasites for parasitic way of life
dd. Host adaptations/modifications against parasites
ee. Basic inflammatory response

b. Protozoa and protozoan infections

1.' Introduction
2.' Amebas (Lumen dwelling and amphizoic amebas)
3.' Flagellate protozoans (Lumen, tissue, visceral, and blood infecting organisms)
4.' Ciliate protozoa
5.' Coccidia, Pneumocystis, Plasmodium, Babesia

c. Helminths (worm infections)

1.' Introduction to helminths
2.' Trematodes (flukes)

aa. Intestinal, liver and lung flukes
bb. Schistosomes (blood flukes)

3.' Cestodes (tapeworms)

aa. Atrial dwelling tapeworms
bb. Tissue and/or visceral tapeworms

4.' Nematodes (roundworms)

aa. Intestinal
bb. Migratory (larval migrans)
cc. Microfilarids
dd. Exotic nematodes

d. Arthropods of medical importance

1.' Arachnida

aa. Ticks
bb. Mites

2.' Insecta

aa. Lice
bb. Hemiptera (bugs)
cc. Diptera

e. Laboratory Outline: (experiment schedule)

1.' Calibration of a microscope using the ocular and stage micrometers
2.' Intestinal and atrial amebas of humans
3.' Atrial and gastrointestinal flagellates
4.' Intestinal ciliates
5.' Identification of a parasitological unknown
6.' Fecal analysis using direct smear and zinc sulfate flotation procedures
7.' Cutaneous and hemoflagellates
8.' Staining of specimens using the trichrome staining procedure
9.' Coccidia other than malaria
10.' Malaria and pneumocystis
11.' Tapeworms
12.' Intestinal and blood flukes
13.' Nematoda
14.' Medical Arthropods

aa. Ticks
bb. Mites
cc. Lice
dd. Fleas
ee. Flies
ff. Mosquitoes

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Course content will be presented and examined through lectures, interactive discussions, writing exercises, critical thinking exercises and integrated laboratory experiments. Independent research exercises involving extensive library use will be included via a research term paper (lecture portion of the class), and through independently collected and prepared laboratory collections of parasites recovered from humans.

In the laboratory portion of the course, students perform detailed microscopic examinations of parasite morphology. Based on these microscopic observations, they prepare a detailed pictorial guide for each of the specimens observed, and include these drawings as a part of their laboratory manual.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course

The objectives of the course are to acquaint the student with the medically important parasites of humans. The approach to parasite recognition is based upon parasite morphology, disease symptoms, pathology, geographic distribution, epidemiology, along with the location(s) of the parasite in the host. As a result of the knowledge gained by the student based on the objectives and approaches described above, students will be able to identify specimens, place them in the correct taxonomic group, pinpoint parasite location in/on the host, describe the associated pathology, outline the geographic distribution of the parasite, and discuss epidemiology, including control of the parasetemia.

5. Assessment Measures

Student assessment of their knowledge of course content will be based on three, one-hour lecture examinations, a comprehensive lecture final examination, a laboratory mid-term and final examination, a research term paper, definition of technical terms, preparation of the laboratory pictorial manual, unannounced lecture quizzes, and in-class writing/critical thinking exercises.

6. Other Course Information

Students may earn extra credit in the laboratory portion of the class by collecting, preserving, and preparing parasites collected from human hosts.

7. Review and Approval

DATE ACTION REVIEWED BY
September 2001 Dr. Charles M. Neal, Chair