Programs - School of Medicine - St. George’s University

Medical Program

Medical Parasitology MICR 660

Emphasis is balanced between parasitic infections that frequent the tropics and those that are being increasingly recognized in the temperate zones. Approximately half of the course deals with medical protozoology, including the amoebas, flagellates, ciliates, and sporozoa that are capable of infecting living human tissue. The second part of the course covers medical helminthology (the Nematoda, Platyhelminthes, and Acanthocephala). Arthropods of medical significance are also discussed. Presentations of the various organisms emphasize the epidemiology, symptomatology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment of each.

Laboratory

Lectures are supplemented by laboratory sessions that include stool examinations for ova and cysts of parasites. Slide presentations are used extensively in the consideration of all the parasites.

Learning Objectives

To ensure an understanding of the general life cycles of the major parasite groups and to familarise the student with the specific life cycles of the more important parasites of humans.
To familarise the student with methods used to diagnose parasitic infections and to be able to interpret the significance of the results obtained.
To be able make a differential diagnosis of some of the most important parasitic infections.
To understand the ways in which parasites affect their hosts.
To examine the clinical and pathological manifestations of the most important and prevalent parasitic infections.
To examine methods of treatment of various parasitic infections.
To be aware of the factors which determine the geographical distribution of parasites and factors which influence the host/parasite relationship.
T o be able to integrate all the above objectives into a good working knowledge of parasitism through the acquisition of an adequate parasitological vocabulary.
To be able to identify all the important parasites affecting humans. Immigrations and global travel ensure the arrival of exotic parasites in non-endemic areas of the world. Because of this it is even more relevant than ever before to study the global distribution of parasites.