Parasitic Protozoa

Updated and much expanded, the Second Edition of Parasitic Protozoa is designed to be useful to physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists concerned with diseases caused by protozoa in man, and in domestic and wild animals including fish, mollusks and insects, as well as the more commonly considered vertebrate animals. Each section contains information on disease pathogens, treatment, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the diseases caused by the various protozoans. The book is not limited to these medically-oriented subjects, but treats taxonomy, morphology, and metabolism of the organisms in such a way as to be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the field of protozoology. The entire edition, published in ten volumes, is arranged so that subjects of common interest occupy individual volumes.

The plan for this atlas evolved from the necessity of providing the biology student interested in protozoology, cytology, and para sitology with an introduction to the study of fine structure in Protozoa. To reduce the book's extend, a selection of characteristic protozoans had to be made, limited to those which could be regarded as representative for entire groups. Interest in parasitic protozoans has been steadily on the increase over the last 10 years. This particular group of organisms thus seemed a very suitable choice. The" Apicomplexa" were selected as an area of emphasis. These once were part of the collective group called Sporozoa which included many parasitic protozoans of uncertain taxonomy. Fine structural research has been of especial significance for the Apicomplexa, since Protozoa belonging to this subgroup can now be named, characterized, and classified by features recognizable by electron microscopy. Only the fine structure of whole cells is represented in this atlas, so that the ciliates have been of necessity excluded. Their cells are too large in diameter in any case for our purpose here. They also play only a minor role as parasitic organisms. This book utilizes a new method to facilitate the analysis of protozoan fine structure. An electron micrograph, a descriptive text, and an analytic drawing are arranged on two facing pages so that the electron micrograph and the drawing can be compared.

This book provides an in-depth yet concise overview of the most common and emerging protozoa that cause diseases in both farm animals and companion animals. As outlined in the concise introduction, pathogenic protozoans represent an evolutionary highly diverse and little understood group of disease-causing microorganisms. For each of the featured parasitic unicellular eukaryotes, it discusses the morphology, lifecycle, epidemiology and host-pathogen interactions. In addition, the book highlights the latest developments in diagnostic methods, as well as prevention and treatment strategies. Thorough information on genomes and genetic manipulation strategies for some of the protozoa covered in this book is also included. Infections involving parasitic protozoa can cause productivity losses and/or reduce the quality of life of infected animals. Some infections are zoonotic, posing an on-going public health threat. In most cases, prevention and treatment are either non-existent or need considerable improvement. On the other hand, a great deal of research has recently been conducted on these organisms, yielding valuable new information on their global distribution and revealing the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level – and essential insights that can be used for the development of new control tools. This book includes extensive information on both basic aspects and recent scientific discoveries on these protozoa and thus constitutes a unique resource for students, veterinarians, and researchers alike.

Parasitic Protozoa, Volume I: Taxonomy, Kinetoplastids, and Flagellates of Fish contains 10 chapters that first discuss the classification of the protozoans, and then explain the system of parasitic protozoans. This reference material focuses on the significant aspects specifically related to Leishmania and trypanosomes, including the trypanosomes causing disease in man and livestock in Africa, as well as the nonpathogenic trypanosomes of mammals. Lastly, the flagellate parasites of fish are described. This book will be invaluable to physicians and veterinarians interested in studying the parasite's disease-causing property in man and livestock.

It is now 17 years since the junior author's book Parasitic protozoa was first published, and 13 years since it received limited revision. The study of symbiotic protozoa has meanwhile progressed, and much of the content of the earlier book has been superseded if not displaced by recent knowledge. We believe that there is still a place for an introductory textbook, conventionally arranged on a taxonomic frame work, on this most fascinating group of organisms. It should supplement (certainly not supplant) more modern treatments from different angles. A mountain looks very different if one approaches it from different sides, though a true picture of that mountain can be built up only by the laborious summation of the views provided by all approaches. The immunology and the chemotherapy of protozoal infections are subjects so complex that we do not propose to try to encompass them in this book. We mention briefly the more commonly used therapeutic compounds in the various chapters that follow, without giving details of dosage schedules. Further information on immunology and chemo therapy can be obtained from the books listed at the end of the Introduction; the information we give on chemotherapy is largely drawn from that of James & Gilles. This book can be regarded as an evolutionary descendant of the earlier "Parasitic protozoa", referred to above, extensively revised and much more fully illustrated. We hope that it will prove as useful as its predecessor appears to have been.

Updated and much expanded, the Second Edition of Parasitic Protozoa is designed to be useful to physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists concerned with diseases caused by protozoa in man, and in domestic and wild animals including fish, mollusks and insects, as well as the more commonly considered vertebrate animals. Each section contains information on disease pathogens, treatment, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the diseases caused by the various protozoans. The book is not limited to these medically-oriented subjects, but treats taxonomy, morphology, and metabolism of the organisms in such a way as to be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the field of protozoology. The entire edition, published in ten volumes, is arranged so that subjects of common interest occupy individual volumes.

Contents: Appearance of Protozoa, Laboratory Methods, Cell Organelles, Inheritance, Living Activities, Protozoans in Environment, Movement, Exoskeleton, Parasitic Protozoans, Multiplication, Life of Amoeba, Life of Paramecium, Life of Euglena, Life of Polystomella, Life of Radiolaria, Life of Radiolaria, Life of Opalina, Life of Vorticella.