Protozoa Essay

Protozoa -

Protozoa are single celled organisms. They come in many different shapes and sizes ranging from an Amoeba which can change its shape to Paramecium with its fixed shape and complex structure. They live in a wide variety of moist habitats including fresh water, marine environments and the soil.

Protozoan infections are parasitic diseases caused by organisms formerly classified in the Kingdom Protozoa. They include organisms classified in Amoebozoa, Excavata, and Chromalveolata. Examples include Entamoeba histolytica, Plasmodium (some of which cause malaria), and Giardia lamblia.

The symptoms of protozoan infections depend on the type of single-celled parasite involved and where in the body it lives and multiplies. These types of parasites are referred to as protozoa. Protozoa that live in the intestines usually cause

After contacting a host cell, a virus will insert genetic material into the host and take over that host 's functions. The cell, now infected, continues to reproduce, but it reproduces more viral protein and genetic material instead of its usual products. It is this process that earns viruses the classification of "parasite".

Bacterial and viral infections have many things in common. Both types of infections are caused by microbes -- bacteria and viruses, respectively -- and spread by things such as:

•Coughing and sneezing.

•Contact with infected people, especially through kissing and sex.

•Contact with contaminated surfaces, food, and water.

•Contact with infected creatures, including pets, livestock, and insects such as fleas and ticks.

Gastroenteritis, on the other hand, attacks your intestines, causing signs and symptoms, such as:

•Watery, usually non bloody diarrhoea — bloody diarrhoea usually means you have a different, more severe infection.

•Abdominal cramps and pain.

•Nausea, vomiting or both.

•Occasional muscle aches or headache.

•Low-grade