Medical Parasitology

The protozoa are an eclectic assemblage of organisms encompassing a wide range of single-celled and multiple-celled colonial organisms lacking tissue organization, but exhibiting remarkably refined biological behavior. In some modern classifications, they are classified as a subkingdom among the Protista (eukaryotic single-celled organisms). Although they are not considered a formal category by some taxonomists and some biologists consider the name inappropriate (inferring that they are the first unicellular animals, although some photosynthesize), it is still convenient to consider this group of organisms as an informal collection under the heading of protozoa. Their cosmopolitan distribution, significant ecological role in mineral recycling and enhancement of carbon flow through lower trophic levels of food webs, and remarkable cellular adaptations to enhance survival in diverse environments make them significant organisms for biological investigation.

The flagellates are a grade of organisation. Traditionally, they are those protozoa which spend most of their existence moving or feeding with a small number of flagella. This type of organization is the most widespread among protists. In addition, alveolates and stramenopiles include heterotrophic flagellates, as do several groups often thought of as algae (dinoflagellates, euglenids, and cryptomonads). Some of the amoebae revert to flagellated forms for part of their life history or have non-functional flagella attached to their bodies. Many parasites which affect human health or economy are flagellates. They include the relatively benign Giardia and the more damaging trypanosomes and leishmaniases. Flagellates are the major consumers of primary and secondary production in aquatic ecosystems - consuming bacteria and other protists and ensuring the recycling of limiting nutrients. The Ciliata, or Ciliophora, includes about 7000 known species of some of the most complex single-celled organisms ever. Some or all of the surface of a ciliate is covered with relatively short, dense hairlike structures, the cilia, which beat to propel the ciliate through the water and/or to draw in food particles. Ciliates include some of the largest free-living protists. They are abundant in almost every environment with liquid water: ocean waters, marine sediments, lakes, ponds, and rivers, and even soils. Because individual ciliate species vary greatly in their tolerance of pollution, the ciliates found in a body of water can be used to gauge the degree of pollution quickly. 

Coccidia are complex unicellular parasites of vertebrates and invertebrates. They parasitise their host intracellularly. Coccidian parasites are responsible for several of the most severe diseases known in animals and man. For example in domestic animals, Eimeria tenella is responsible for considerable decrease in growth and development of domestic poultry flocks by damage caused to the intestinal lining during infection. The traditional coccidians (Eucoccidia) have been described in all classes of vertebrates such as in fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals including humans. However the second coccidians (Adeleorina) includes species associated with invertebrates as well as parasites of vertebrates. The latter group infects blood cells of vertebrates and is collectively known as "haemogregarines". Veterinary important parasites in the genus Haepatozoon belong to this group. Parasites within the coccidian group can be either monoxenous, parasitising a single host throughout their lifecycle, or heteroxenous whereby the parasite will parasite multiple hosts. For instance, species belonging to the genera Eimeria and Isospora are well known monoxenous parasites, while those of Toxoplasma make use of an intermediate host. It is thought that coccidians that have heteroxenous lifecycles can have a wide range of intermediate hosts, but they commonly have a narrow range for the final host. As with the rest of the phylum Apicomplexa, classification within the coccidian groups is largely a 'mess' due to incorrect or misinterpreted morphological data gathered over the years. Increasingly, clade support is being sought to characterise parasites with the advent of molecular biology. Due to the escalating amount of information being made available on the apicomplexans, such standardisation is vital to enable arrangement of this information for further use.

The field of medicine that pertains to helminths (worms) capable of disease in people. The public health impact of medical helminths is appreciable. Two billion people are infected by soil-transmitted helminths such as Ascaris, hookworms, and Trichuris trichiura and by schistosomes. Early childhood infections by soil-transmitted helminths delays physical and cognitive development. Other widespread helminthic infections include onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), and food-borne trematode and tapeworm infections. All of these infections cause chronic morbidity and debilitation. Medical helminths need to develop in a parasitized host, and sometimes this involves several disparate hosts. Helminth parasites are more complex than free-living helminths, because they have evolved mechanisms to deal with the different environments of their various hosts and living conditions. They have developed host-finding behaviors, exquisite migration patterns within each host, and the ability to evade the host immune and protective responses.

Trematodology is the study of a class of medically important parasitic, flat-bodied worms. It has made significant advances over the past ten years. The tremendous amount of information accumulated from research discoveries and technical developments related to trematode biology will be focussed in this track. Advances in Trematode Biology presents a thorough treatment of modern trematodology, including principles and practices. It updates researchers, practitioners, and students with new information in immunology, biochemistry, physiology, and molecular biology. The track includes information on parasitological techniques, emphasizing species of medical and veterinary importance which is a key reference for parasitologists, biologists, medical, and veterinary personnel. 

Nematodes are non-segmented helminths and relatively simple structured organisms. They possess bilateral symmetry and a complete digestive tract with oral and anal openings, they taper to a relative point at both ends. They are also found to have separate sexes, with the male being smaller than the female, ranging in size from a few millimetres to over a meter in length. Their cylindrical non-segmented bodies allow them to be easily distinguishable from other helminths. Nematodes are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. A handful of soil will contain thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants or animals. Free-living species are abundant, including nematodes that feed on bacteria, fungi, and other nematodes, yet the vast majority of species encountered are poorly understood biologically. There are nearly 20,000 described species classified in the phylum Nemata.

The cestodes (or tapeworms) form a group of worms, exhibiting two unmistakable morphological features; they all possess flat, ribbon like bodies and lack an alimentary canal. Adult tapeworms usually inhabit the alimentary canal of their hosts (though they occasionally are found in the bile or pancreatic ducts) and attach themselves to the mucosa by means of a scolex. Despite the lack of a digestive system they do absorb food from the hosts intestine; thereby providing the tapeworms a habitat that is associated with high nutritional levels, feeding the tapeworms high growth rate. Larvae on the other hand show a wide range of habitat preferences, being found in almost any organ of both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Clinically important cestodes pathogenic to man are Tenia solium (pork tapeworm), T. saginata (beef tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium lattum (fish or broad tapeworm), Hymenolepis nana (dwarf tapeworm) and Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis (hydatid).

Arthropods are one of the most remarkable creatures on the earth, and they merit study for at least two major reasons. First, arthropods have unsurpassed diversity and niches; because of their extensive variation. These animals can provide an in-depth understanding of nature and the many ways that biological problems have been met. Arthropods fly, jump, hide, they see ultraviolet light, they produce and molt an extraordinary exoskeleton, and they posses’ magnificent colors and shapes. Few habitats exclude arthropods. In withstanding harsh environments, they are unparalleled. many entomologists were concerned about the competition for food between human kind and arthropods, and some entomologists believed that arthropod control was imperative for survival of human race. Although such a position may seem somewhat extreme, arthropods do consume or spoil sufficient crops and products to feed many millions of people who starve each year. And arthropod/ insect –transmitted diseases, to humans, animals and crops, remain a threat to health and civilizations. As a result, it is good to understand “what arthropods are to the layman”

Diagnosis of parasitic infections in small animals is challenging, interesting, and fun, and involves the recognition of parasite stages based on size, morphology, color, and movement. Size and morphology are the major diagnostic parameters, and a calibrated microscope is the essential tool in the diagnostic laboratory. The fecal flotation technique is used routinely for the diagnosis of most parasites that reside within the gastrointestinal tract. The specific gravity and type of solution used often will influence the results obtained. Other techniques for diagnosis of specific gastrointestinal parasites include the direct smear and the merthiolate-iodine-formalin preservative method for diagnosis of Giardia sp, the Baermann technique for diagnosis of lungworm and other live larvae, the direct sedimentation technique for diagnosis of trematode eggs, the ether-formalin-sedimentation technique for diagnosis of trematode eggs and concentrating protozoan cysts from feces with high fat content, and the McMaster technique, a dilution modification of the fecal flotation technique. Techniques for evaluation of parasites in blood include the Knott's test, hematocrit method, and direct blood smear for diagnosis of microfilariae and thick and thin stained blood smears for diagnosis of Babesia sp, Haemobartonella sp, Cytauxzoon felis, Hepatozoon canis, and Trypanosoma cruzi. Tissue impression smears are used commonly for the diagnosis of Leishmania sp in dogs and biopsy specimens or aspirates are used for the diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii. Diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis can be accomplished with peritoneal and thoracic fluids, and organisms occasionally are detected in blood or spinal fluid. Serological tests for many parasitic diseases have been developed and often are used as supportive diagnostic tests in diagnostic parasitology.

Apart from the fact that vaccines began to be developed much later than chemotherapeutic drugs, a number of additional factors have affected the progress of parasitic vaccine development. Moreover, and in contrast to viruses and bacteria, even the simplest parasites and their life cycles are highly complex, and there is a general lack of precise understanding of the host/parasite interaction. Owing to the complex nature of parasites, the immune system is confronted with a highly diverse and plastic antigen repertoire. A number of biological characteristics perpetuate this diversity. In general, vaccines can be expected to induce a narrow spectrum of protection, often restricted to a single species or strain, whereas, in many cases, the actions of chemotherapeutics transcend the species level. Broadening the spectrum of protective immunity is a major issue in vaccine development.

Currently disease control and treatment of parasitic infections focuses on chemotherapy, but re-infection often occurs without continued treatment, making vaccination a far preferable option as a simple, one-step procedure to interrupt transmission. Many advances are under way in parasite genomics, as well as new vaccine delivery systems. Malaria is a subversive, ignored, yet common cause of death throughout the world. It causes over one million deaths per year, making it one of the greatest silent killers of humans. However, there are certain steps that can be taken to control its endemicity. Unlike some infectious diseases whose frequency are declining, due to prevention efforts and scientific advances in treatment and vaccines, malaria prevalence continues to rise due to wide-spread resistance to many of the current drugs. There are no successful malaria vaccines. Hence, there is an emerging need for scientific research in these fields for the well-being of mankind.

A key ingredient in successful entrepreneurship is self-knowledge. Medical Parasitology 2016 aims to bring together all existing and budding bio entrepreneurs to share experiences and present new innovations and challenges in microbiological community. Each year, over a million companies are started in the world with about 5–10 of them classified as high technology companies. Turning ideas into business ventures is tricky and the opportunity-recognition step is critical in new venture creation. This gestalt in the entrepreneur's perception of the relationship between the invention and final product is refined into a business model that describes how the venture will make money or provide an appropriate return to the potential investors. Biological science is complex and rapidly changing and requires a specialized knowledge to understand the value of the innovation and its competitive position in the industry. Although life scientists are typically the founders of biotech companies, studies have shown that the most successful high tech startups are founded by a team of two to three individuals with mixed backgrounds, substantial industry experience and a very clear market and product focus at founding. This three day community-wide conference will be a highly interactive forum that will bring experts in areas ranging from structural microbiology to signaling pathways to novel therapeutic approaches to the scientific hub. In addition to our outstanding speakers, we will also showcase short talks and poster presentations from submitted abstracts.