Easter time :)

Well today is easter, so HAPPY EASTER people, and thank you to all those people who've been following my blog, even though I think some of the topics are not the most invigorating. 

Well, tomorrow is April 1st. This marks about a month and a half until exams start. I have another two weeks left of Easter holidays and then 4 weeks of more lectures, a week off, and then seven exams. I hope this time they don't decide to give me seven in a row.. that was my idea of exam hell. 

Parasitology- should know this pretty well by the time the exam comes, I did well enough last time so I just need to make sure I know protozoa thoroughly. 

Pathology II- Done CNS and so much of muscoskeletal so far. The lectures are very long so it takes a lot of motivation to get through them. My plans today include re-revising the major CNS topics (inflammation, toxic and PNS) and finishing off the musco-skeletal system. I also need to read over public health I've done so far. 

Public health II- I really like this module. I shouldn't do, but there's a fascination at being able to put into practice the pathology of the animal. I'm a bit iffy with this module so far as we've not done all the practicals or lectures yet, but I think this will be one I like revising- more applied than theory which is good :).

Infectious Diseases II- Covering dogs, cats, horses and poultry. So far we've done poultry and pigeon diseases. The exam is split essays (40% dogs, 40% horses, and 20% poultry) and there will only be around 7 mcqs on poultry and pigeons will be a small part of this and maybe only one MCQ with no essay question which is a shame. There will only be one of five essay questions on chickens. I can't remember if we get a choice of essay questions in the exam, its something I need to look at, but seeing as I haven't had the lectures for the other half of the module yet it might be worth bombing chickens for revision :). 

Identifying Protozoa- Part 5- Flagellates excluding Trypanosoma

Leishmania 

• Macrophages of dogs, man and other wild animals.
• Amastigote stage in macrophages were parasites multiply. 

Leishmania Promastigote Stage in Sandfly Vector

Giardia Cyst

Giardia

• Transmitted faecal-orally. 
• Cysts very resistant (note NOT OOCYST). 
• Found in the gut mucosa of man, dogs, cats and cattle.
• Eight flagella with two attached to the parasite body.

Tritrichomonas Fetus

• Venerally transmitted in cattle.
• Early fetus death.
• Eradicated in the UK.
• Uterus of cows and preputial cavity of bulls.
• Single nucleus and four flagella. 

Histomonas Meleagridis

• Blackhead in young turkeys.
• Caecum and liver of turkeys and sometimes other poultry.
• Round ameboid parasite with single flagella seen in caecal lumen.

Identifying Protozoa- Part 4 Trypanosomes, Babesia and Theileria

Trypanosomes

• Morbidity and mortality in animals and man in tropical countries.
• Trypanosomiasis is a major disease constraint on livestock production in Sub-Saharan Africa where they are transmitted by Glossina TseTse flies. 
• Can be transmitted by biting flies. 
• Spindle shaped, have a flagellum which originates from the kinetoplast at the posterior end. The flagellum runs from the anterior end and is attached along the length of the cell. 

Trypanosoma Theileri 

• Cattle parasite seen commonly in the UK.
• Parasitaemia is low so parasites are rarely seen.

Babesia Divergens 

• Pathogenic Babesia species of British cattle causing red water. 
• Ixodes Ricinus vector- three host tick.
• Small species. Pairs of organisms, widely diverging and in the cell periphery of red blood cells. 

Babesia Bovis

• Parasite of cattle in the tropics and subtropics and southern Asia. 
• Most pathogenic babesia species.
• Vector= Boophilus (one host hard tick).
• Small.

Babesia Bigemina 

• Parasities cattle in Africa, Australia and South America. 
• Boophilus vector.
• Large.

Babesia Canis

• Tropics, subtropics and Mediterranean countries.
• Large.
• Pathogenic.
• Dermacentor and R.Sangineus vectors.

Theileria 

• Cattle and sheep disease in Africa, Asia, Australia & the Middle East.
• Seen in red blood cells, undergoes schizogony in lymphocytes.

Theileria Parva

• Red coast fever.
• Cattle and sheep.
• Production constraint.
• Vector= R. appendiculatus.
• Smaller than Babesia.
• Do not form linked pairs like Babesia.
• Often more than one parasite per red blood cell.