Practical No.
Study of endoparasites and ectoparasites
Aim: Study of endoparasites (Entamoeba histolytica/ Trypanosoma/ Taenia
solium) and ectoparasites (Bedbug/ Mite/ Tick)
Introduction:
Parasitism is a close relationship between two species where one organism,
the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. The parasite lives on or
inside the host, causing harm to the host's body structure or metabolism.
They are classified as- Ectoparasites and endoparasites
Ectoparasites are pathogens that live on the outside of a host, usually on
the skin or in its superficial layers. The prefix "ecto" means "outer”. Ectoparasites
include arthropods, such as insects and arachnids, and other organisms. Examples
include lice, fleas, ticks, mites, spiders, bedbugs, wasps, ants, bees, and flies.
❖ Bedbug
Adults and all nymphal stages of Cimex spp. need to take blood meals from
warm-blooded hosts. Cimex lectularius, or the common bed bug, is a species of
Cimicidae. Its primary hosts are humans, and it is one of the world's major
nuisance pests. Female common bed bugs can lay 1–10 eggs per day and 200–
500 eggs in their lifetime. Eggs hatch in about 4-12 days into first instar nymphs.
Adult bed bugs are about 1-7mm long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened
bodies.
Bites can cause itching, loss of sleep and rarely allergic reactions. Early
detection and eradication of bed bugs can make infestations easier to control.
These insects feed exclusively on blood and may survive up to 70 days without
feeding.
, Figure No.1: Bed bug
❖ Mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large
orders of arachnids, The Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were
historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. Mites are tiny members of the
class Arachnida; most are in the size range 250 to 750 μm.
The body plan has two regions, a cephalothorax (with no separate head) or
prosoma, and an opisthosoma or abdomen. Segmentation has almost entirely been
lost and the prosoma and opisthosoma are fused, only the positioning of the limbs
indicating the location of the segments. Mites which colonize human skin are the
cause of several types of itchy skin rashes and also causes allergenic diseases.
Figure No. 2: Mite
Study of endoparasites and ectoparasites
Aim: Study of endoparasites (Entamoeba histolytica/ Trypanosoma/ Taenia
solium) and ectoparasites (Bedbug/ Mite/ Tick)
Introduction:
Parasitism is a close relationship between two species where one organism,
the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. The parasite lives on or
inside the host, causing harm to the host's body structure or metabolism.
They are classified as- Ectoparasites and endoparasites
Ectoparasites are pathogens that live on the outside of a host, usually on
the skin or in its superficial layers. The prefix "ecto" means "outer”. Ectoparasites
include arthropods, such as insects and arachnids, and other organisms. Examples
include lice, fleas, ticks, mites, spiders, bedbugs, wasps, ants, bees, and flies.
❖ Bedbug
Adults and all nymphal stages of Cimex spp. need to take blood meals from
warm-blooded hosts. Cimex lectularius, or the common bed bug, is a species of
Cimicidae. Its primary hosts are humans, and it is one of the world's major
nuisance pests. Female common bed bugs can lay 1–10 eggs per day and 200–
500 eggs in their lifetime. Eggs hatch in about 4-12 days into first instar nymphs.
Adult bed bugs are about 1-7mm long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened
bodies.
Bites can cause itching, loss of sleep and rarely allergic reactions. Early
detection and eradication of bed bugs can make infestations easier to control.
These insects feed exclusively on blood and may survive up to 70 days without
feeding.
, Figure No.1: Bed bug
❖ Mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large
orders of arachnids, The Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were
historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. Mites are tiny members of the
class Arachnida; most are in the size range 250 to 750 μm.
The body plan has two regions, a cephalothorax (with no separate head) or
prosoma, and an opisthosoma or abdomen. Segmentation has almost entirely been
lost and the prosoma and opisthosoma are fused, only the positioning of the limbs
indicating the location of the segments. Mites which colonize human skin are the
cause of several types of itchy skin rashes and also causes allergenic diseases.
Figure No. 2: Mite
