What is the difference between cyst and oocyst

Coccidian : Pertaining to or a member of a group of one-celled protozoan parasites. Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium are examples of coccidian parasites that infect the epithelial lining cells of the intestinal tract. Disseminated infection: An infection where the germ enters the body through a single entry point and then disperses throughout the body. Distilling: A technique in which water is boiled until it vaporizes and is then condensed back into water. Dissolved metals and minerals e.

Distillation systems can have a significant energy cost associated with their use. Ectoparasite: A classification of animals that includes those with hard, segmented bodies and jointed appendages, such as insects. Ectoparasites are usually arthropods which parasitize the skin.

Elephantiasis: A syndrome brought on from long-term obstruction of lymphatic vessels that leads to engorgement and thickened skin. It causes disfigurement, often of the leg. Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems. Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis GAE : A serious infection of the brain and spinal cord that typically occurs in persons with a compromised immune system.

Helminth: A large, multicellular organism that is generally visible to the naked eye in its adult stages. Helminths can be free-living or parasitic. They include roundworms, tapeworms, and flukes. Immunoglobulin A IgA : A class of immunoglobulin that is the second most common immunoglobulin in blood. It is the main immunoglobulin found in secretions, such as tears, saliva, colostrum, mucous membranes of the intestine, respiratory and reproductive tracts.

IgA provides local defense against microorganisms as they try to infect mucous membranes. Immunoglobulin G IgG : A class of immunoglobulin. This is the most abundant immunoglobulin and is approximately equally distributed in blood and in tissue liquids.

Immunoglobulin M IgM : A class of immunoglobulin and is the third most common immunoglobulin in serum. IgM is the first class of immunoglobulin that is made by immune cells when stimulated by antigen. Most of the protozoa species belong to this phylum are unicellular spore-forming intracellular parasites. With regards to its life cycle, it is composed of different stages where the cellular structure highly varies. But all members of the phylum do not possess the similar type of cell patterns during their life cycles.

Toxoplasma gondii belonging to this group of protozoa possess different stages with the involvement of a variety of cell types in its life cycle. These include bradyzoites, tachyzoites and oocysts. Bradyzoites is a sessile cell type with a slow growth rate and give rise to either tachyzoites or gametocytes. Gamete forming cells are known as gametocytes. The male gametocyte gives rise to a microgamete that is comparatively smaller and flagellated.

The female gametocyte develops into a macrogamete which is larger and in non-flagellated. During fertilization the microgamete and macrogamete fuse to form a zygote. This zygote is present inside the oocyst. Therefore, oocyst can be defined as a thick-walled cell type that is present in the life cycle of protozoa which contains a zygote. During favourable conditions, the zygote initiates its development within the oocyst. During zygote development, the oocyst becomes infective.

The main reason for the development of toxoplasmosis in a host is due to the ingestion of an oocyst when it is in its infective stage. Once ingested, the oocysts will set free bradyzoites in the stomach and the intestinal region of the host which initiates the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii again. Not only Toxoplasma gondii , but other organisms like Eimeria, Isospora, and Cryptosporidium also produce oocysts during their life cycles. A cyst mainly facilitates the survival of a microorganism bacteria or protists under unfavourable environmental conditions.

Encystment is the process by which the internal parasites mostly in larval stages reside within a cyst. Models for cyst and oocyst walls derive from their structural components and organization within the wall.

Oocyst walls of Cryptosporidium have a rigid bilayer of acid-fast lipids and inner layer of oocyst wall proteins. Abstract Cysts of Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica and oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum are the infectious and sometimes diagnostic forms of these parasites.

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