What does Dientamoeba fragilis cause?
Dientamoeba fragilis causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. It causes disease worldwide. Its reservoir seems to be restricted to humans and other primates. Like the other members of Class Trichomonadida, it is found only in the trophozoite form.
Does Dientamoeba fragilis need to be treated?
Treatment for Dientamoeba fragilis infection fragilis infection do not require treatment.
How do you treat Dientamoeba fragilis trophozoites?
Treatments reported to be successful for dientamoebiasis include carbarsone, diphetarsone, tetracyclines, paromomycin, erythromycin, hydroxyquinolines and the 5-nitroimidazoles, including metronidazole, secnidazole, tinidazole and ornidazole.
How contagious is Dientamoeba fragilis?
fragilis is transmitted via the fecal-oral route by direct transmission, and although the trophozoites do not seem to last long in the environment after being excreted, the organism is still highly transmissible and contagious.
What is the infective stage of Dientamoeba fragilis?
Dientamoeba fragilis is a nonflagellate trichomonad parasite that can live in the human large intestine. Unlike most other intestinal protozoa, its life cycle has no cyst stage; thus, infection between humans occurs during the trophozoite stage.
Which of the following is characteristic of Dientamoeba fragilis?
TABLE 3
| Dientamoeba fragilis characteristic | Shape and size | Motility |
|---|---|---|
| Trophozoites | Shaped like amebae; 5–15 μm; usual range, 9–12 μm | Usually nonprogressive; pseudopodia are angular, serrated, or broad lobed and almost transparent |
| Cysts | Generally oval to round; ∼5–8 μm; inner organism about 5 μm; inner, outer cyst walls | Nonmotile |
How long does Dientamoeba fragilis last?
Many patients reported having symptomatic family members, and the range of duration was significant (1–630 weeks). In accordance with previous reports [7, 9, 10, 13], the most commonly found symptoms were abdominal pain, loose stools or diarrhea, flatulence, anorexia, and fatigue.
What type of parasite is Dientamoeba fragilis?
Parasites – Dientamoeba fragilis Dientamoeba fragilis is a parasite that lives in the large intestine of people. This protozoan parasite produces trophozoites; cysts have not been identified. The intestinal infection may be either asymptomatic or symptomatic.
What is the common name of Dientamoeba fragilis?
Dientamoeba fragilis is a species of single-celled excavates found in the gastrointestinal tract of some humans, pigs and gorillas….
| Dientamoeba fragilis | |
|---|---|
| Genus: | Dientamoeba |
| Species: | D. fragilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Dientamoeba fragilis Jeeps et Dobell, 1918 |
What are the symptoms of Dientamoeba fragilis?
The most common symptoms are diarrhea and abdominal pain. Symptoms also can include loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, and fatigue. The infection does not spread from the intestine to other parts of the body.
How big are the trophozoites of Dientamoeba fragilis?
Dientamoeba fragilis is a flagellate that lacks external flagella and therefore must be morphologically differentiated from the small nonpathogenic amebae (e.g., Endolimax nana, Entamoeba hartmanni). Dientamoeba fragilis trophozoites measure 5 to 15 µm; cyst-like stages are rare. Pseudopodia are angular to broad-lobed and transparent.
How is Dientamoeba fragilis related to trichomonads?
Despite its name, Dientamoeba fragilis is not an ameba but an intestinal flagellate, most closely related to trichomonads. In human stool specimens, D. fragilis is almost always found solely as a trophozoite.
How can I prevent Dientamoeba fragilis infection?
However, the risk for infection might be higher for people who live in or travel to settings with poor sanitary conditions. How can I prevent Dientamoeba fragilis infection? Wash your hands with soap and warm water after using the toilet, after changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food.
Can a person be infected with D fragilis?
The pathogenicity and clinical importance of D. fragilis continue to be investigated, including whether particular genotypes, subtypes, or strains of D. fragilis are associated with symptomatic infection in humans. Both asymptomatic and symptomatic infection (e.g., with various nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms) have been reported.